How much $ do you spend making Christmas cookies?

[ttubbs]

I’ve made or plan to make the following cookies:

Peanut Blossoms (Hershey’s Kisses)
Potato Chip-Pecan Crunch Cookies (Pecans)
Raspberry Almond Bars (Almonds, Raspberry jam, Almond Extract)
Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons (Coconut, Semi-Sweet Chocolate)
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies (Maraschino Cherries)
Rolled Butter/Sugar Cookies

I don’t see this as being anything extravagant. I had the sugar and flour, but had to get most of the rest of the ingredients. I’ve picked up pecans, almonds, almond extract, vanilla extract, lots of butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white/vanilla chips, Hershey’s Kisses, maraschino cherries, raspberry jam, coconut, and probably a few other misc. related items. This is my fist year making Christmas cookies, and I was surprised to find that it all rang up at about 60 bucks. Me and my girls have been having a lot of fun making everything, but my wife thinks next year we should just take a crisp new 10 dollar bill and splurge on store bought. See cannot understand how I’m having fun doing this. (Of course, part of that might be because I don't really have anyone in mind to give them to. I just thought it would be fun to make cookies this year. Probably just take them to work.)

I thought homemade was supposed to have the cost advantage, what gives?

[greysangel]

If you were going to go out and buy all those different types, you would be paying more than $10. Something else to consider is your recipe yields probably more than what you would buy OR you have ingredients leftover than can be used for something else.

j

[lorilei]

I can see your point. I also agree with what's been said about quantity and cost. I think you'll also agree that the QUALITY is much higher when you make these things yourself.

On the other hand, sometimes making food is expensive. I think the real cost advantage of home-made anything tends to rely on a principle of simplicity and frugality from the start. It's all wrapped up in what we choose to make at home -- and whether or not we can get the ingredients on sale.

I don't spend much on cookies at the holidays -- but that is in large part because I keep most ingredients on hand (including a variety of nuts, chocolate and vanilla chips, and chocolate). I tend not to make cookies that call upon ingredients like Hershey's kisses or other prepackaged goods. I do have to buy extra flour and sugar -- but these things tend to go on sale around the holidays, so even if I buy higher quality ingredients, I don't wrack up too much of a bill. If I do need special ingredients, I try to buy them piece-meal with my regualar groceries. This requires forethought, but I find it to be worth it in the end. What I spend varies from year to year, but I'd peg it at around $50 for most of my holiday baking (not including cherries/below)

On the other hand, I make upwards of 24 dozen brandied cordial cherries each year around the holidays. These cost me about $60 to make... but I can justify the cost since they make very good gifts, and the total cost (decorative container or tin included) comes out to around $3/person.

[blazedog]

I don't even WANT to know how much I've spent between the ingredients, the new cutters I HAD TO HAVE -- the edible glitter, dragees, sanding sugar etc.

Homemade do of course have a cost advantage if you are comparing them to high quality baked goods -- Ever priced a pound of butter cookies at a good bakery? The yield from most cookie recipes is well in excess of a pound of cookies.

That's of course just the base economics -- there is no comparison in taste between homemade (at least my homemade:D and commercial baked goods unless you are talking REALLY serious bucks.

And of course I do it for the enjoyment I get from creating something. I had loads of fun baking with my grandmother when I was a little girl -- among my fondest memories. Most of the time I don't get to bake anything because I don't want it -- Christmas is a perfect excuse to bake to excess and surprise people with random acts of kindness (or cookies).

You are creating great memories with your children. I too don't have really specific donees in mind -- I just don't think you can look upon it in purely monetary terms.

[rburganmckinley]

You're making, what, at least 12 dozen cookies? 144 cookies. I can't see how you could possibly spend only $10 and buy all those particular kinds of cookies. If you make too many, they do make great gifts. And cheap ones that people actually appreciate. I estimate I spend about the same as you have $60. Pluse about another $10 for containers. I give cookies to 10 different families. That's about $7 per family. Just think of what kind of gift you could buy for $7. Even if it were food, a can of good hot cocoa mix?? A small box of chocolates?

BESIDES you're doing something much more important than money. You're spending time with your kids and giving them great memories that will last a lifetime. Money comes and goes, your kids are there for life. I have great memories of baking cookies with my Mom and Grandma. That is what I remember about Christmas as a kid, not what gifts I got or gave or how much money was spent.

[Aubergine]

cost is no object. i am penurious the majority of the year, but that's in part with the goal of splurging at Xmas, be it in baking (or otherwise) gifting.

[ttubbs]

You guys are fast!

I’m not complaining or down about it or anything like that, just surprised is all. I really didn’t expect things to add up that fast. I understand and agree with every thing you’ve said, and had already determined that if I were to divide it all up into gift boxes the per box cost wouldn’t really be all that much. Still, the total was a surprise.

Personally, I don’t really go for recipes that call for prepackaged goods most of the time either, but the Peanut Blossoms are a holiday tradition in my wife’s family, and she requested them, so I’ll make that exception for her. These will probably be an annual cookie for us, just because she’s so fond of them and would like to share that with the kids. The raspberry bars called for the raspberry jam. I love berries, so I really wanted to try these. They are the best of them all so far, but tonight I’m making the coconut ones, the final for this year I think, which I have high hopes for. Anyway, I almost made jelly and jam this summer with the thought that little jars of that could be put in gift boxes just about anytime my wife needed to put one together. You know, new moms or neighbors or whatever. With these bars in my repertoire, maybe I’ll be more motivated and courageous enough to give jellies a try next summer. I’m thinking these bars made with homemade blackberry jam would be a winner too.

[doggerham]

Hah! Texas Pecans at WF were $11.99/pound yesterday! So for 4 nutrolls, that $24, plus about a dozen eggs, butter etc!

That said, they are very special, and the pecans are wonderful. Much, much better than what I've tasted elsewhere.

[schuh]

I do a lot of baking, and I agree with you ... baking seems very expensive. Especially when it involves good chocolate or expensive nuts.

What bugs me is that I do Christmas baking to give as gifts, and sometimes it doesn't seem like a very valuable gift.

[Beth]

Originally posted by doggerham
Hah! Texas Pecans at WF were $11.99/pound yesterday! So for 4 nutrolls, that $24, plus about a dozen eggs, butter etc!

That said, they are very special, and the pecans are wonderful. Much, much better than what I've tasted elsewhere.

Wow, next year you should order some from our fundraiser -- at $7.50 a pound for the freshest new crop Texas pecans I've gotten. Shall I put a reminder to send you a note on my calendar? ;)

[Aubergine]

i like what lorelei wrote. i shop year-round with holiday baking in mind. in september we had a butter price war happening here, and i bought 20 lbs @ 1.99/lb to freeze in anticipation of december cookies, etc. when nuts go on sale, i buy massive amounts and freeze them. i also shop post-Xmas for bargains on all manner of holiday-themed things. truth be told, i probably spend more in january than i do in nov-dec, but i'm typically getting things 10-25 cents on the dollar. FWIW, chocolate has a long shelf life, and freezes, too.

[lirpa]

I couldn't even begin to imagine how much I've already spent on holiday cookies. I'm making (some have already been made) about 20-22 different types of cookies not to mention a gingerbread house and about 32 dozen ladylock cookies. I'd say probably close or slightly over $100. If you add on the glasses (or bottles I should say) of wine consumed during the holiday baking and the Christmas CD's purchased-we're getting pretty expensive!! When it comes to holiday baking, I enjoy it so much that the amount of money I spend on ingredients doesn't even matter-it's the family traditions and the memories made that matter most.

[Beth]

Originally posted by schuh
What bugs me is that I do Christmas baking to give as gifts, and sometimes it doesn't seem like a very valuable gift.

I wonder about that sometimes too. I think it varies a lot with the audience. Some folks don't appreciate things that are homemade and wuold rather have gone tothe grocery store and bought their favorite mass generated bread, cake or cookies. Some folks adore homemade gifts -- especially if you make something that is special for some reason.

I think I started second guessing my homemade gifts one year when a former neighbor brought us a gift basket with several homemade things in it -- not one was fit to eat. Keep in mind that year round, it was her husband who did most of the cooking. I did drink the tea and used the container for a while. Being a baker, I appreciated her efforts, but I felt bad about it.

On the other hand, we have given as few as a dozen cookies as a token to teachers my son has for an hour or two a week and we get thank you notes, stops in the hall in January and recipe requests. When it comes right down to it, homemade gifts are just like any others: they usually involve a lot of thought and intent to please, they usually are well received, occassionally miss the mark, but sometimes they please more than you could ever have imagined.

The butter, nuts, chocolate, spices (especially at the grocery store -- which is why we do Penzey's) really can add up. Try making a gingerbread house -- we try to use up Halloween candy, but if you start buynig things, it can get really expensive.

[Little Bit]

Compared to the cost of an actual, store-bought present, homemade cookies are a bargain. Everyone loves getting them, and they don't feel deprived. Admittedly, I work pretty hard to make yummy cookies, and I store them properly so they don't pick up other flavors over the time I do my baking.

I like making the ones that are more complex than my typical everyday cookies. The effort is worth it for a once a year treat for all involved. (I do have to test them, after all.)

Cookie plates have become a tradition for me in recent years. Dad and I take some around to various friends, and I mail a few to others. Saves the agony of shopping, plus I enjoy it far more than other options.

Also, not to be totally extravagant, I use my cookie baking as a way to use up whatever's in the pantry.
Admittedly, I do need extra butter, flour, sugar and eggs, but most of the rest is usually already on hand.

(I even used up the extra spice gumdrops, since I had the right amount for the recipe I was using, lol. Doesn't usually come out quite that evenly.)

I used up most of my pecans early in the fall, so the cookies I've chosen to make this year call for other things.

I guess it would be more expensive for us if I made exactly the same recipes year after year, since most of our actual favorites are full of nuts, chocolate and other pricy goodies. :)

[Beth]

Originally posted by lirpa
When it comes to holiday baking, I enjoy it so much that the amount of money I spend on ingredients doesn't even matter-it's the family traditions and the memories made that matter most.

That's me too -- I do it and try not to notice the dollar signs when I exceed my baking stash. It's the time that taxes me more.

[funnybone]

I've never calculated what it would cost because it doesn't matter to me, as already mentioned by some. I have 98% of the ingredients I wil need on hand - butter, eggs, flours, sugars, chocolates, nuts, spices, dried fruits, etc. The only thing I have really bought so far is Hershey Kisses in anticipation of making the Peanut Blossoms my kids love. When my ingredients dwindle, I restock, that way I am never at a need to buy everything all at once. As for pecans, I usually buy mine at Costco or Sam's and keep them in my freezer. A 2 lb bag is usually around $8, so that's quite reasonable to me.

[schuh]

Originally posted by Beth


Wow, next year you should order some from our fundraiser -- at $7.50 a pound for the freshest new crop Texas pecans I've gotten. Shall I put a reminder to send you a note on my calendar? ;)

I buy all my pecans through a fund-raiser every year. The pecans are excellent (although I had bugs in them one year, which is another story). They went up from $6 to $7.50 this year so I cut back on the amount I ordered. I didn't know this was such a deal!

And I agree about gingerbread houses -- the cost for merengue powder plus all the candies can really be a lot.

[mbrogier]

ttubs--your kids will always remember you baking cookies with them at Christmas. That is worth a lot more money than you will ever pay in ingredients. All my dad ever cooked when I was little was burnt pizza. :rolleyes: (He taught me to fly an airplane, though. ;) )

For the rest of you who wonder about your homemade gifts, keep at it! I wish I had friends that baked so I could get homemade gifts. :( Everyone I know thinks that grocery store bakeries are the best. :rolleyes: It isn't that much fun baking cookies for yourself, and my family doesn't want sweets. I would LOVE a plate of good homemade cookies. :D Your friends are very fortunate...and if they don't think so, I would love their cookies and candy--especially any fudge. :o :p

[MISSINDI]

Ttubbs -- like another poster mentioned, forgetting what you spent on the groceries, there's no price you can put on the time you spent with your kids creating memories. That said, I'm sure you probably have ingredients left over from your cookie making, so then you have to figure it didn't cost you the WHOLE $60, you know?

[Okiedokie]

I think if we figured up all the ingredients we put into making cookies and things, we might actually, be able to buy an inferior product and save money just buying them already made. Remember, the things you already have are a cost also, even if you don't replace what you used it has to be counted, as it wasn't just free gratis. It really costs a lot for everything that goes into the cookies and so forth, but who wants an inferior product to give someone, or even to eat yourself? :confused: :( Somethings just simply aren't measured in dollars and cents, but it's the TLC that goes into making them. ;) We are making memories, and sharing of ourselves.

[annagins]

I spend tons of money on baking ingredients all year round, and like a few people have mentioned, don't even want to know how much it adds up to. Unfortunately for me, since I bake and give desserts out all year, by Christmas I am in a position where I pretty much have to buy a store-bought, non-food gift lest my present blend in with everything else I've made. It's just a little drawback I've found to being a year-round baker. Almond roca (which is very expensive to make) is the one candy certain family members feel is special since I rarely make it.

But one thing I always remember when I spend this money on ingredients is that it's a hobby for DD and me. We could be spending our money on movies, at the mall, or on crafting and scrapbooking materials (expensive!!!), but instead we buy edible materials for our crafts.

[Okiedokie]

annagins, I too, am a year round baker, and do as you do. I also, have told myself that I don't attend movies, eat out, or need outside entertainment, but this is something that I love doing and apparently others enjoy receiving, so I really don't consider the price. :)

[ttubbs]

Well, as I said before, I was just surprised by the amount, not bent out of shape about it. But thanks for all the encouraging comments just the same. It sounds as if my price tag wasn’t too far out of line with the rest of you, so at least I know I don’t need ‘Grocery Shopping for Dummies”. This was my first year making Christmas cookies, and I just decided I wanted to do them a couple weeks ago, so I didn’t have the advantage of planning for them throughout the year. Also, the only time I go to the grocery store is when I need a fair amount of ingredients (like stuff for 6 or 7 types of cookies) so I really don’t have much of a clue as to what everything costs. I do see the weekly fliers, so maybe I can spot sales and be better prepared next year. I only have a handful of chocolate chips, most of the almond extract, a handful of Hershey’s kisses, and, oddly enough, a whole bag of almonds left over. Apparently, there are more than 1 2/3 cups almonds in a bag, as it was marked, or else I need “How to Measure for Dummies”.

[blazedog]

I'm constantly surprised at the cost of food when I buy something that I don't buy ordinarily.

On the other hand, baked cookies are still a bargain (unless one counts one's labor:D) --

Even assuming that the average batch of cookies is between $5 and $7 (and I think that is a high estimate unless one is really talking about expensive ingredients), the yield is generally no less than 4 dozen cookies. That's pretty cheap when compared to anything that I would considering spending calories on :D -- Last time I check a bag of Oreos was about $4.

I bring baked goods a lot for social occasions and I feel that I am getting away cheap -- If I brought a bottle of semi decent wine, it would cost at least $10 or $15.

If I were on a tight weekly food budget, I guess the blip in spending in one week would be hard but my budget is based on annual expenditures so really the $200 or so extra spent on extra food for baking since Thanksgiving (as well as fancy contributions to Thanksgiving dinner) to have any real significance -- I have lots of bags of nuts and chips left over which I can use during the coming year.

I spent an obscene amount of money on items for decorating cookies (which I'm not even sure I will get around to doing:rolleyes: -- but the cutters, sugars, edible marking pens, sprinkles etc. last indefinitely so I guess it's an investment:D

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by blazedog
I spent an obscene amount of money on items for decorating cookies (which I'm not even sure I will get around to doing:rolleyes: -- but the cutters, sugars, edible marking pens, sprinkles etc. last indefinitely so I guess it's an investment:D

Do you have any good online sources? Always looking to try new, fun places ... :)

[blazedog]

Missindi

Be careful what you ask for:D

A fantastic assortment of tin cutters at really good prices between 75 cents and $1.50 apiece -- I am talking like 400 different kinds -- foose -- I thought it was foose.com but it's something different but just google foose and cookie cutter.

Kitchengifts.com has 500 varieties of copper cookie cutters as well as a LOT of stuff for decorating including supplies and directions for cookie bouquets.

I started a thread asking for sources and people supplied me with some.

I wound up buying stuff at surfas and surlatable also because I liked to see the stuff in person also -- edible glitter, luster dust, sanding sugar.

By the way, silver and gold dragees can't be shipped to California anymore -- bummer.

[blazedog]

Not that you asked but beyond the standard Christmas cutters I wound up with Bubble Light Ornament cutters:D

I restrained myself significantly but couldn't resist cutters in the shape of a martini glass, Empire State Building, Marilyn Monroe type dress (vavoom) and hand giving the peace sign -- I thought they would be fun for New Year's Eve.

Speaking of which, does anybody have a good basic recipe for sugar/butter roll out cookies. I did Martha's recipe which was good and then had a disaster with something called No Fail Cookies (perhaps mercury was in retrograde this weekend as all my baking turned out unsuccessful).

[Beth]

There are a lot of these things that carry over -- it's kind of like buying spices. You get a basic stock built up and then just replenish and buy special things. This time of year, the special things can add up.

Changed plans are the other way expenses add up unexpectedly. I went out and bought hugs and kisses to make the chcolate pretzels to help extend a cookie swap at school that some folks were complaining about. I was going to bake my 8 dozen and do some extra things to help cover the humbugs, but I just got word that the cookie swap is off. Guess I'll be making them for teachers and neighbors now.

[Gracie]

This is a timely thread because I just bought all the ingredients to make my Christmas gift cookies yesterday. I am making 7 - 8 different kinds and did not plan it out ahead of time (like when butter was on sale) like I normally would. So butter yesterday was $2.69/pound for the store brand!!! I spent $36 for items that I needed that were not already in my house. I will have some things left over to use in future baking but next year I will have to plan which cookies I am making more ahead of time.

I think the reason I didn't plan was that I took all my recipes out of the new holiday supplements this year and other years I've used my cookie books. The supplements don't really come out soon enough to take advantage of sales.

Loren

[doggerham]

Beth,

Yes, please send me a reminder next year on the pecans!

Saturday, I found locally grown, organic TX pecans at the Midtown farmers market for $6/pound. They weren't quite as cleanly picked over as what I got at Whole Foods, but they had very good flavor.

Eight nut rolls=

4# pecans
2 dozen eggs
1.5 pounds butter
2 C sour cream
13 C flour
2.5 C sugar

But, since that's all I'm doing, its not too bad. I think shipping is going to kill me, though.

[jphilg]

I am doing my one-shot Christmas baking next Saturday (I had to borrow a kitchen) and I am planning my shopping destination based on butter prices. The Giant has organic butter on sale for 2.99/lb. I am waiting to see if Safeway can beat that price when their sale prices roll over to next week's this Wednesday.

Huh. Butter.

When did I become my crazy great aunt would would spend 20 minutes driving around town to save a penny a gallon on gas?

[helios7]

I'm jealous!

I pay $4.69 a lb for butter....

At least I think its $4.69. I guess it might be $5.19, but I really think its $4.69. I bought the soft canola butter last time because it was on sale for $3.99 and that seemed so low I couldn't resist.

Sigh. Life in the big apple I guess.

I don't even want to know what baking costs me. Yesterday i bought ONLY baking supplies and the bill was $57. And I'm so not done, these are only the work people/friends. I haven't even started for DH's family yet!

[pattiarl]

Thanks for the heads up on the butter, Jen. I finished all my baking (usng up the sale butter I has in the freezer) and now I need to restock and I didn't buy Sunday's paper.

Have fun baking.

Patti