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!

White Chocolate Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Lately, more and more I’ve been encountering baking recipes with cinnamon chips and was curious to what they taste like. I finally found them at a cooking supply store in Vancouver and stocked up with a big bag. Perfect for the upcoming baking season.

I decided to pair them in a cookie with white chocolate as they have a milder flavor compared to regular chocolate chips and would not overpower the flavor of the cinnamon chips. I also threw in some toffee bits for good measure (of which I also stocked up on a big bag!).

These are 72-hour cookies in that they are left in the fridge to “marinate” for 72 hours before baking, but if you want to make them right away, go for it (but believe me your patience will be rewarded).

Check out the verdict at the end of the post!

White Chocolate Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Base adapted from here.

Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients

¾ cup salted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup cinnamon chips

½ cup white chocolate chips

¼ cup toffee chips

Directions

1. In a stand mixer, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes.

2. Scrape down the sides and add egg. Beat for 5 minutes.

3. Scrape down the sides and add vanilla, and beat to combine.

4. In a bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture and beat until almost combined.

5. Add cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips, and toffee chips, and mix for a few seconds to combine.

6. Cover dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 days.

To bake:

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat.

8. Portion out dough with a 2-inch scoop and bake for 13 minutes.

9. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a rack.

 

Verdict: Cinnamon chips taste like cookie butter (aka speculoos, aka Biscoff)! This was pleasantly unexpected. The cookies were soft and chewy with nice crispiness on the edges. Hallmarks of an excellent cookie. What else can I do with my big bag of cinnamon chips?

Potato Chip Cookies – 2 ways

Sleepover time for my friend’s birthday party! We even got matching pajamas for the event!

I was asked to make potato chip cookies as I had made them once before and they were a hit.  I came across another recipe, and wanted to see how they compared.  Potato chip cookie recipe showdown!

Check out the verdict at the end of the post!

Potato Chip Cookie Recipe #1

Adapted from here.

Yields 16 cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 cup icing sugar

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

½ cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup toffee bits

¾ cup crushed rippled potato chips

Directions

1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

2. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.

3. Mix in flour and salt just until combined.

4. Mix in pecans, toffee bits, and potato chips.

5. Scoop with an ice cream scoop and place on a tray.  Refrigerate overnight. (This is a standard procedure that I do with all my cookies to help with caramelization and flavor, but the original recipe didn’t call for this. Feel free to bake immediately.)

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges brown a bit.  Cool on baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.

Cookies #1 after baking.

Cookies #2 after baking.

Potato Chip Cookie Recipe #2

Adapted from here.

Yields 24.

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter, room temperature

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 ¼ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

4 cups coarsely crushed rippled potato chips, divided in half

½ cup pecans

1/3 cup toffee bits

Directions

1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.

2. Beat in vanilla and eggs.

3. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt just until combined.

4. Mix in 2 cups of the potato chips, pecans, and toffee bits

5. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop dough and drop into a plate of the remaining chips. Roll around to coat.  Place on a tray and refrigerate overnight. (This is a standard procedure that I do with all my cookies to help with caramelization and flavor, but the original recipe didn’t call for this. Feel free to bake immediately.)

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake for 13-14 minutes.  Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.

Verdict: The first recipe made crumbly and crispy cookies, while the second recipe made cookies that were similar to a chocolate chip cookie – chewy with lots of caramelization.  Although they were both tasty, I preferred the first recipe because I liked the crumbly texture and the potato chip flavor came out better since there wasn’t any brown sugar to mask it.  The boyfriend liked them equally and when I asked him which one he preferred, he said “same-ish”.  One of girls liked the second recipe better.  I guess it depends on your preference!