2021 Holiday Cookie & Treat Box
With Christmas just a few days away. I thought I would do something different and share one of my favoriting things with you - my 2021 Holiday Cookie and Treat box. If you’ve been following since last year, you may have noticed I LOVE putting together these types of boxes almost as much asI love gifting them.
Baking cookies and making treats are a family tradition that I’ve continued on my own. Sometimes it’s messy, sometime’s it’s a fail (lol macarons every year for me) but at the end of the day, I get something festive and delightful. This year I took a couple of recipes and adapted them to my taste buds. I will link the original recipes and the minor tweaks I made for you below and share one of mine :) Happy Holidays! What is in your cookie/treat box this year?
NYT - Fancy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are those fussy, need to wait 24 hours before you bake, then sprinkle with Maldon salt CCCs that you cannot help but LOVE. I umped the festiveness with some “Christmas Sprinkles” from Supernatural (here). I also lowered the baking time to 12-15 minutes because I like these soft.
Half Baked Harvest - Monster Cookies
I adapted these by removing the white chocolate chips and adding in peppermint white chocolate chips.
Simply Recipes - English Pecan Toffee
I use over 70% dark chocolate. It’s so much more rich and a better balance for the sweetness of the toffee. Try this one by Guittard if you can find it!
Sweet Feminist - Becca’s Brownies
Perfectly crackled top with a hint of cinnamon! I love these with pecans or walnuts and cut into bite sized squares.
Peppermint Bark with Pretzels (mine!)
1 bag dark chocolate chips (70% Guittard is my usual go to; they have a 72% lower sugar one that came out this year too!)
1 bag white chocolate chips (good quality is best since WC can be a little finicky)
1 tbsp peppermint extract (good quality and natural tastes best)
5oz crushed peppermint (I’ve used a number throughout the years, this one from King Leo has been my favorite so far)
1 cup salted pretzels
Method
Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper and set aside.
Make a double boiler by putting a small amount of water at the bottom of a saucer/small pot and a metal bowl on top. Make sure the bottom of the metal bowl does not touch the water. Turn the heat on medium until the water starts to boil. Pour the dark chocolate chips in the bowl. Stir until melted and tempered (see guide here). Stir in 2 tsp of peppermint extract
Spread the chocolate in the center of the wax paper, making sure to leave it a little thick (maybe 60% of your pan). Refrigerate (do not freeze) for 30 min to an hour.
It’s best to wait until the dark chocolate is solid to start this next batch! Create another double boiler for the white chocolate. Since white chocolate has a different fat content than dark, you will need to watch very carefully not to burn or over heat. Stir constantly with a rubber spatula until it melts and is tempered (see guide for white chocolate temperature). Stir in the remaining peppermint extract.
Once the dark chocolate is hardened, pour the white chocolate in the center of the dark chocolate and spread to the edges of the dark chocolate.
Sprinkle the crushed peppermint on top and gently press in the pretzels one at a time.
Refrigerate for about 30min to one hour.
Once ready, carefully drag the wax paper with the chocolate bark on it, on to a cutting board. I use a pastry scraper and a rolling pin to break up the peppermint bark. Store in a sealed container in the fridge or gift to friends! Enjoy!
