Hark it's Bark Christmas Cards
For
the past couple years, I've been teaming up with super talented writer,
Kathy Mercure, of WriteNow Communications to say “thanks for your
support” to our clients. This year we went a little ‘nuts’ and used not
only our copywriting and design talents, but our culinary expertise as
well (Kathy's dad owned a bakery :-) The Recipes are included
below for you to try! Super Easy!
We played with the fact that "everyone" gets chocolate for Christmas (cookies too)... So the front of the card reads:
OMG I can't believe
another supplier gave us chocolate for Christmas.
But wait...This isn’t just any chocolate...
HARK it's BARK
Make sure you read the "nutritional information". Happy Holidays everyone!
The Recipes
I’ll Be Home for Chicken Bones
(A Joce and Kathy Original)
An Atlantic Canada favourite meets the creaminess of
white chocolate!
4 cups white chocolate chips
2 cups Ganong Chicken Bones
candy, crushed
Line
cookie sheet with parchment paper, or a light spray of cooking oil.
Melt chocolate over a double boiler, or in a microwave. Stir in Chicken
Bones pieces (don’t over-stir, or the chocolate will brown from the
candy). Spread in prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with more crushed
Chicken Bones. Allow to set in cool place for 2 hours before cutting
into pieces.
So This is
Skorbits
Milk chocolate and Skor
candy can only be improved with addition of pecans…
4 cups milk chocolate chips
2 cups Skor candy chips
1
cup pecan pieces
Line cookie sheet
with parchment paper, or a light spray of cooking oil. Melt chocolate
over a double boiler, or in a microwave. Stir in Skorbits and pecans.
Spread in prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Skorbits and pecans.
Allow to set in cool place for 2 hours before cutting into pieces.
Nuttin’ for Christmas
Dark, rich chocolate combined with the salty
tang of cashews.
4
cups good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups salted
cashews, chopped
Line
cookie sheet with parchment paper, or a light spray of cooking oil.
Melt chocolate over a double boiler, or in a microwave. Stir in cashew
pieces. Spread in prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with more chopped
cashews. Allow to set in cool place for 2 hours before cutting into
pieces.
O Chocolate Slab
Makes
36 cookies
These dark, fat patties of
chocolate shortbread are exuberantly topped with festive sprinkles.
(adapted from Nigella Lawson)
1 cup soft butter
3/4
cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups
all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Icing:
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
powder
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup boiling water, from a
kettle
1 tsp vanilla extract
Christmas sprinkles
Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a cookie sheet with
parchment paper. Put all cookie ingredients into a food processor and
process until a soft, sticky dough forms. Pinch off pieces about 1 tbsp
in size, roll into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you
place them on your cookies sheet. Bake for 15 minutes; cookies will
continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top.
Let cookies sit for 15 minutes before transferring the cookies with
their sheet of parchment to a surface you can use to drizzle. Meanwhile,
put the cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla extract
into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything is
smoothly combined. When the cookies are cooler, drizzle each one with a
teaspoon of chocolate glaze, using the back of the spoon to help spread
the mixture. After you've iced about 6 cookies, scatter with some of the
Christmas sprinkles before the glaze sets. Continue until all the
cookies are topped. Allow to completely cool and the frosting to harden
before putting away. (But you can eat them immediately!)
O Holy Pfeffernüsse
Makes about 48
cookies
A traditional German Christmas
cookie, pfeffernüsse (fe-fa-noss-h) meaning “pepper nuts”, these are
incredibly spicy and flavourful – a sure hit.
1/2 cup candied lemon or orange peel
1 tbsp
all-purpose flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground
pecans
1 tsp each ground cardamom and cinnamon
1/2 tsp each
baking soda, ground nutmeg, allspice and cloves
1/4 tsp each salt
and pepper
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed
brown sugar
1/3 cup icing sugar
In a
food processor, whirl 1 tbsp flour with peel until ground, scraping
down sides occasionally. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir 2 cups flour
with pecans, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, cloves,
salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large bowl, using a stand mixer, beat
eggs with granulated and brown sugars for 3 minutes. Gradually add in
flour mixture, then candied peel mixture. Continue until mixture forms a
ball. Remove and press dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight, to allow flavours to develop.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking trays with parchment paper. Pinch
off about 1 tbsp dough and roll into a ball, then roll between hands
into a log, making the ends thinner; finally bending into a crescent
shape. Continue with remaining dough, spacing about 1 inch apart on
baking sheet. If your hands will get sticky, rinse them under warm water
to remove dough. Bake about 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies are lightly
golden. Allow to cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar. Cool
completely.
O Come All Ye Shortbread
(Lemon)
Makes
about 2 dozen cookies
1 cup soft butter
1
cup icing sugar zest of 2 lemons
2 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat
oven to 325°F. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat in
lemon zest. Stir in flour a little at a time, until dough starts to hold
together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead
lightly to form a disk. If the batter is very sticky, add a little more
flour. Roll out to about 1/4-inch or slightly thicker with a lightly
floured rolling pin. Cut into shapes with a sharp knife or cookie
cutters. Arrange on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20
to 25 minutes, or until just lightly browned on the bottoms. Cool on
wire racks. Store in an airtight container.
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