For the love of all that is holy, WHY is baking a staple of the already chaotic, labor-intensive holiday season? Can't a mama get a break? Us #SlackerMoms need some baking shortcuts STAT.

SLACKER MOM is here to help you learn how to fake bake like a pro! Baking shortcuts are well and good but when you really want to slack off, you have to fake bake it.

We asked some of our friends on the "internets" for their favorite tips. Read what they had to say below and then WATCH the hilarious video we made on a fun girl's weekend away!

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• Baking is actually one of the few things I don't slack off on too much, as I try to make everything from scratch. What I will say though is, don't sweat it if you are not creative. There's no shame in just following the recipe you found online or on the back of a bag of chocolate chips. The way I see it, someone else took the time to get it right. Reap the rewards for their effort! Gail Hoffer- Loibl, Maybe I'll Shower Today
• My baking technique involves paying someone else to bake for me. AKA the local bakery. I'm only sort of kidding. What I actually tend to do is wait until the kids are asleep and do it myself, so that it's not as messy, and also so that I don't have to share licking the bowl, hahaha. Glynis Ratcliff, The Joy of Cooking for Little Assholes
• My family likes a variety of Christmas cookies, but I work full time and the idea of dragging my mixer out over and over is...unpalatable. For the last few years I have been taking an afternoon and whipping up all of the dough, which I freeze until I am ready to bake. That way the big mess is all done at once, and all I have as it gets closer to the holidays is some parchment paper to toss. -Tara
• Have not done this yet, but have thought of just buying the pre-made dough that I’ve seen at Papa John’s and making cookies from that. Seems slightly better than the pre-made dough they sell at grocery stores for some reason. -Julie Vick, writer.

Baking Shortcuts from SLACKER MOM

Missed the other episodes of Slacker Mom? Catch Slacker Mom’s Guide to Holiday Gifts and Slacker Mom’s Guide to Halloween. We had a great time shooting this episode. And yes, we ate all of the treats immediately after. This episode was made possible by a grant from the town of Dover, VT. We spent a weekend (sans husband and kids!) shooting a bunch of Slacker Moms.