Bake and Trade 2014

I organized a Bake and Trade (aka cookie exchange) at the office again this year and I have to say, I took it up a notch. We had the Christmas music playing like last year, but we also voted for what we’d like to have for our first bite. The winner (the only savory treat – jalapeno cornbread muffins) got a box of really pretty cupcake wrappers. 

I also gave out the cutest party favors – mini holiday cookie cutters. Whenever I wondered if I was going overboard, I thought, what would my friend Gabbie do? Because Gabbie always goes the extra mile when throwing parties and basically everything in life. For example, for Halloween, she gives out Starbucks travel mugs to the parents!!! What parent wouldn’t love that??

So anyways, I asked myself, what would Gabbie do, and I’m pretty sure she’d do something even more extravagant, so I went ahead with my Bake and Trade party at work. And it was fun!

Thank you to everyone who participated! We had such a wonderful variety of treats!

And by popular demand, the recipe for Mock Skor Bars. Just some history on this treat: Every year we get super excited about this treat brought in by our colleague Allison. This year, it was brought in by Sophie and we are so happy she made it!

Mock Skor Bars

Recipe from here.

Ingredients

24 salted soda crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place crackers evenly on pan.

2.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir until melted and combined. Mixing constantly, bring mixture to a boil for 2 minutes. Pour mixture over crackers.

3.  Bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

4.  Sprinkles chocolate chips evenly over caramel and return to oven just until the chocolate melts. Spread with an offset spatula.

5.  Place pan in fridge or freezer until firm. Break into pieces and devour.

Note: I’ve made this with Ritz crackers and it is phenomenal.

I made the Mars Bar Blondies that I made for my wedding. Check out the recipe here. 

Check out these cute cookie cutter party favors! Love!

Cookie exchange 2013 Part 2

In my previous post, I wrote about how I hosted a cookie exchange at work. I thought I’d share what I made and the recipe of another one of the treats baked by my colleagues. I wanted to make something quick with no fuss, so I thought cookie bars (which I think are kind of like blondies. Anyone else with me on this?). Mix, spread, bake, cut. No portioning and baking off in multiple batches. I added some cookie butter and toffee chips for good measure.

The great thing about these is that you can add any add-ins you want. In fact, the first batch I made had coffee chips in them. Incidentally, it turns out that I don’t like coffee chips (I think they taste like molasses) so I made the boyfriend take them to work, and made a batch with toffee chips instead for the cookie exchange. If you’ll notice, the photographs are of the ones from the first batch.

But first, the recipe for buckeyes!

 

Buckeye are the bottom - round with chocolate caps.

Buckeyes

From Real Simple.

Ingredients

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1.  With an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter and butter at medium speed until creamy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt (the mixture will be crumbly).

2.  Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, in a double boiler or a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring often, until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

4.  Resting each ball on the tines of a fork, lower it into the chocolate until it’s two-thirds covered. Refrigerate on the baking sheet until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.

5.  Keep the buckeyes refrigerated, between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container, for up to 3 weeks.

Cookie Bars

Adapted from here.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup salted butter

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cookie butter

2 eggs, room temperature

1 Tablespoon vanilla

½ cup toffee chips (or 2 cups of your favorite add-ins: chocolate chips, nuts, cinnamon chips, etc)

Sprinkles (optional)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment.

2.  In a bowl, mix flour and baking powder. Set aside.

3.  In the bowl of a stand mixer with the beater attachment, beat butter and both sugars on medium until fluffy (2 minutes).     

4.  Add cookie butter and beat until mixed.

5.  Add eggs and beat until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and mix.

6.  Add the flour mixture, and mix on low until almost combined (you still see some flour).

7.  Add toffee chips, or other add-ins and mix for a few seconds until combined.

8.  Spread onto baking pan and top with sprinkles (if using). Bake for 25 minutes (check at 22 minutes with a toothpick test. If it comes out clean, you’re done).

9.  Cool in pan before taking it out and cutting.

Verdict: The cookie bars (second time around – minus the coffee chips) were just what I wanted. Chewy with lots of caramel flavour. I think my colleagues liked them too. It was such a quick and easy recipe with things that I had on hand – good to remember for emergency baking situations!

I can’t give a verdict on the buckeyes because I’m allergic to peanuts, but everyone at the cookie exchange was raving about them!

Wreath and Tree Butter Cookies

These are the cookies I made for my work’s cookie exchange! They are the classic butter cookies that I’ve been making for years and are my absolute favorite cookie of all time.  I posted them here last year.  This year, I added a green tint and made wreaths and Christmas trees.  I didn’t have any of the secret ingredient (vanilla syrup), which made a big difference, but they were still good with regular vanilla extract.

Wreath and Tree Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter

1 ¼ cup sifted icing sugar

2 Tablespoon vanilla syrup

1 egg

Green gel food colouring

2 ½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1.  Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

2.  Beat in vanilla syrup and eggs.

3.  Add food colouring to the colour of your liking.  Beat until incorporated.

4.  Whisk flour and baking soda in a bowl.  Gradually add into butter mixture.

5.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight. You can also freeze the dough for up to 6 months.

To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

6.  Roll out dough to ¼ inch thick and cut out wreath and trees.

7.  Add decorations.

8.  Bake for about 6 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden.  Cool on rack.

After adding colour.

Ready for the fridge.

Right out of the oven.