By the time you get around to thinking about favors for your wedding there is a good chance that your budget may be blown. Never fear! Over the next couple of weeks I’ll post some wedding favor ideas that are easy on the pocketbook (and double as great stocking stuffers!) First up, my favorite – cookies!
Cookies are great because they give your guests something to nibble on on their way home. (Or as a snack when your hor d’ouerves don’t come out on time…not that I’m talking from experience or anything…) So if you need to cut costs, you now don’t have to worry about catered snacks for your guests that are dancing late into the night.
My go-to cookie recipe is everyone’s favorite – the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add in extras like chopped dried fruit, maraschino cherry juice, or, as I did for today’s pictures, pumpkin puree, but the basic recipe is pretty fantastic as is.
Each guest should get at least 3 cookies, so do the math as to how many cookies you need. This is a favor that everyone will take, so I wouldn’t cut back. The recipe on the bag makes five dozen cookies. Again, do some math to figure out how many batches you need. At most, I would suggest doubling the recipe each time you make it. Don’t do more than that because 1. your bowls will be too small and 2. you’re going to kick yourself when you realize you forgot to multiply one ingredient appropriately and need to redo the whole batch.
I’d suggest doing the math, gathering the necessary supplies, and spending a Saturday morning four to six weeks before your event creating ALL the dough. Yep, you’re going to get all of that work out of the way in one sitting. (Bonus: if you make all the dough at one time, you’ll lose less cookies to the Taste Test Monster.) Work on a batch (or doubled batch) at a time. Divide the dough onto two (or four) pieces of wax paper and roll into logs. These logs can go into the freezer until it is time to defrost in the fridge, which would be five or six days before your event. Each roll should give you around 30 cookies.
As to packaging, you can find clear baggies with silver metal ties at any craft store. They are crazy cheap, like $4.00 for 100 bags. If you are inspired, you could plan on tying the bags with a different colored ribbon or use craft paper to add a message to your guests that will be stapled on the bag. Again, get these supplies as close to ready (ribbon cut, messages assembled, etc.) as you can far in advance.
Now two or three days before the event, you are going to have a perfect job for someone(s) who offered to be of help. Turn over your kitchen and all of the supplies to your helpers and let them go to town! My totally awesome aunt and uncle had an assembly line going between slicing and putting the cookies on baking sheets, actual baking, cooling, and bagging. In the end, I think it took them about 4 hours to make 200 bags (600 cookies).
(Side note: if baking isn’t your thing, but you like the concept, hit up bake sales, like the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer one that is taking place here in Milwaukee this weekend, and load up! Baked cookies keep well in the freezer as long as you have space. Your helpers will have less to do, but still love contributing to your event.)
Bon appetit!
