RV Christmas Cookie Basics

There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked cookies. The only thing better than eating those cookies, is decorating them _and then _eating them. Just because you’re travelling or staying in your RV over the holidays doesn’t mean you have to forfeit this tradition. In fact, we’ve already discussed how to cook Thanksgiving dinner in your RV, so why miss out on decorating Christmas cookies? Follow along as we give you the best tips from the experts on how to pull this off from your RV.

Use Pre-Cut Cookie Dough

For more traditional folks, this may be a big no-no. But some RVers may have forgotten to pack their cookie cutters or simply don’t have the space for extra kitchen items. Not to worry! Pillsbury and other big cookie brands offer pre-cut cookie dough for this purpose. All you need to do is bake them, let them cool, and then decorate them. It doesn’t get easier than that. Not to mention, this could save you hours of time, and space in your fridge and cabinets. 

Make Your Dough the Day Before

If you’ve taken on the challenge of making cookies from scratch, we commend you. We also recommend that you make the dough the day before baking and decorating them, especially if you intend to make large quantities. This will take up valuable counter space and could take longer if you’re accustomed to a larger kitchen or stove. This can also leave you more time for decorating!

Utilize Our Hacks for Ingredient Storage

In another blog post, we share some of the best hacks for storage in a small space. If you haven’t purchased parchment paper, sprinkles, piping bags, and other cookie decorating supplies until now, then you may be wondering where to put all of it. Just to reiterate what the storage hacks article says, your foil or parchment paper can be stored in a hung folder organizer. A good place for this is inside of a cabinet. Be sure to measure the dimensions of the folder organizer to ensure the cabinet will still close. In addition, you can hang up your measuring cups and measuring spoons inside of a cabinet as well. You can screw in little hooks or use command hooks to hang them. For leftover sprinkles, you can consider adding them to your collection of spices if you utilized our magnetic spice rack idea from our article. Alternatively, you can have a little bin of baking supplies if you have extra cabinet/drawer space.

Use Disposable Items

Some folks don’t have room to store leftover baking supplies and tools. If that’s your case, then we recommend purchasing one-use items like disposable piping bags. As much as we enjoy reusable products, sometimes RVers simply don’t have the space for items they hardly use. Did you know that many full-time or long-term RVers produce a smaller carbon footprint than average house-dwelling folks? Most RVers produce less trash, use less water and other resources compared to non-RVers. So if you need to purchase a few single-use items for cookie-making purposes, don’t feel too bad about it.

Skip the Grocery Store

If you forgot to grab materials to make cookies at the grocery store, then check out the Harvest Hosts location you’re staying at. Many farms produce eggs, milk, honey, and butter that will give your cookies an extra sprinkle of love. Other locations have other ingredients that you can purchase to give your cookies a little flair. Have you ever tried lavender sugar cookies? Any of our numerous lavender farms across North America can lend you a hand with their dried lavender for sale. There are also some Harvest Hosts locations that have ready-to-eat baked goods like the No View Farm in Maine. You can purchase cookies directly from them to decorate in your RV. Have you ever tried maple syrup cookies? While these may not be traditional for some folks, they can be an extra-special treat around the holidays. Check out some of our Harvest Hosts locations that tap their own maple trees, like Sangers Sugar House in New York. 

Other Considerations

Many RVers have run into the problem of finding a cookie sheet that can fit their RV’s propane oven. The dimensions are a lot smaller than a standard oven in a house, so standard cookie sheets are often too large. To combat this, many will measure their oven racks in order to find cookie sheets that will fit. If you haven’t done any baking in your RV, be sure to check this out before embarking on your cookie adventures. RVers may have to opt for easier recipes online depending on their own baking capabilities and the ingredients they have on-hand, as well as the amount of space available to them. If you didn’t bring your recipe books, then it may be a good idea to use the internet. There are tons of variations of cookie and frosting recipes that all utilize different ingredients and substitutions. Search around the internet to find one that works best for you and your space. Making cookies around the holidays is a fun tradition that many enjoy. By accomplishing this in your R, you’ll easily  “wow” your RV park, boondocking neighbors, or Harvest Hosts by sharing some of these expertly-crafted cookies for the holidays. Folks won’t believe that you were able to execute this from such a tiny space. The key is to make the space work for you! Are you a gingerbread, sugar cookie, or chocolate chip cookie fan? Do you have any tips or tricks to make the best cookies or frosting? Tell us about it in the comments below!