It was day 2 of my baking bonanza. Today, I vowed not to leave my apartment until absolutely necessary. I had everything I needed – food, a television, the warmth of an oven – so there was no reason to leave.

I loved the thought of being holed up in a toasty-warm apartment all day, presiding over all kinds of holiday goodies. All day, I swirled around the kitchen amid the smells of vanilla, sugar and chocolate, feeling very festive and holiday-ish. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Well, there is one thing. I would have asked to keep the 300 caramels that I had to throw out. That kinda sucked. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” below for more)

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Originally, I had planned to start my scheduled baking activities on Saturday. The kitchen beckoned a bit earlier, however, and the games began Friday night.

The plan was to finish 340 caramels, 120 mint brownies and 120 Italian rainbow cookies, all packaged and boxed, by Sunday evening.

First up: the caramels. My chosen cooking utensils: Le Creuset pot, candy thermometer.

The Le Creuset pot is a godsend when it comes to making caramel. Nothing sticks to it, it conducts heat evenly with no hot spots, and it is very, very easy to clean. Come to think of it, everything I’ve ever cooked with it (Mark Bittman’s No-Knead Bread, beef burgundy, etc.) has turned out beautifully. Amazing.

I used a standard caramel recipe, adding some vanilla to the mix for some extra flavor. (Click “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.) The tricky part in making caramel is watching the temperature as the sugar boils. Ideally, I wanted soft caramels with a bit of a chew to them, so I settled at taking the caramel off of the heat at 243 degrees – a tiny bit higher than soft-ball stage.

In the end, there were two baking sheets full of caramel. I left them out overnight to cool and harden, and it was off to bed. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” below for more)
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This marks my first year of a massive holiday baking spree – and I’m making it a point to continue this event every year for as long as my hands will let me.

It’s a tradition I’m starting for selfish reasons. I really miss culinary school. As hard as it was, I miss the adrenaline rush of working under a time constraint in a professional kitchen, standing elbow-to-elbow with my peers as we sweat all over everything, both literally and figuratively.

Those long days of cooking under stress satisfied something in me that I can’t seem to put into words, and now, without them, it seems there’s a void in my life. Though it would be pretty cool to actually work in a restaurant or bakery professionally, I’d miss writing too much. And those long hours can be soul-draining. (My hat is off to any cook, baker or chef who can withstand them, day in, day out.)

Enter the holiday baking spree, my solution to fill this void. It’s not the same as working in a professional kitchen, but there are certain pleasures to this scenario as well. For one, it’s my kitchen. And I call all of the shots.

The whole experience will be chronicled in a series of daily posts. Come back tomorrow for Day 1 of the baking saga. Onward!

– Cynthia Furey