The first time they get them is the best, in my humble opinion, because they cannot believe the variety, that it is all for them, and they are excited by the awesomness of it all.
I have even watched guys high-five when they received and opened their tins.
My son and his friends have been known to eat someone else's tin on the way to delivering them, (Don't worry they got a smack on the back of the head-not hard, extra chores, plus having to deliver a new tin that did make it). People have snuck other people's cookies/bars when they run out of their favourite's in their tin, I have received hilarious late night phone calls from friends who are upset because their girl waxed off her tin and was diggin' in her mans tin (An incredulous loud, "You called her?????" being shrieked in the background, followed by a, "No, wait, let me explain."), the best by far was going to a party where everyone got a cookie gift box, having brought extra's for friend's who were not able to come, going to retrieve them at the end of the night to have someone drop them on the way home, and they were stolen! Yes, you read that right. Someone in our group liked them so much, they felt quite at ease stealing another persons goodies, even though they had their own.
How often can you say something like that has happened when you gave a gift? Now, I am by no means condoning stealing but we giggled our booties off when we discovered the theft. Luckily I had extra's, so I decided to take it as a compliment & be more careful the next time around.
This is a holiday tradition you need to start doing NOW!
You can get the kids involved, they love baking and testing out treats, and if they want yummies they must help with the dishes. Just be sure to keep it light & fun, smaller children have less coordination; I find it better to measure all the ingredients out and then have them help put it in the bowl/with hand mixer/Kitchen-aid. Remember to NEVER leave children unattended, and be very encouraging, you are trying to make positive memories, get them away from being plugged in to electronics, teaching them a new skill, and making them feel great about being able to be an important helper for gift giving. I also suggest you play those Christmas tunes in the background and do some dancing in the kitchen while those cookies bake.
Before we move forward I just want you to set some ground rules with any kids baking with you, before you start, not after! And not too many (5 max) because kids are not known for having long attention spans, you want them to remember and stick to them.
I print them up and post them where they can be seen whenever I do a workshop and kids get rowdy, we all go back together and read the rule(s) that applies. We do this together because everyone is working as a team.
Also, rules are not any good if you don't enforce them, be firm but fair. Time out's never hurt anyone, just be sure everyone stops and waits. You're a team, just like professional Chef's.
HEAD CHEFS KITCHEN RULES: (For all Sous-Chefs)
1-Safety in the kitchen comes first! Ovens are hot, foods can seem cool but burn, and there are sharp objects everywhere. Be safe not sorry. This leads to rule two.
2-No being in the kitchen without a grown-up present! This means no touching anything without a grown up present and grown-ups have the final say. If they say move, you move. Safe not sorry. What's important kids? (Have them repeat aloud with you) A grown-up must always be in the kitchen with you or else no baking!
3-We don't make fun of people trying something new, like baking or cooking. We're here to learn and help each other out, not be mean.
4-Remember to get messy, make mistakes, and have fun in the kitchen. Mistakes are important and every good Chef has a funny mistake story to tell.
5-Bake with love & share because food always tastes better that way.
If you are making fewer types I suggest chocolate chip, which is a very popular flavour choice. People love jam thumbprints, lemon & lime meltaways, anything chocolate or lemon based really goes over well, and something seasonal like gingerbread. This holiday season I will be posting some new recipes, along with re-posts of some recipes I did last year. I'd like you to have a good roster of recipes you will enjoy and come back to year after year, that's how we do in my family.
For gift giving, I get different boxes and tins, mini Chinese take-out boxes with holiday cuteness printed on them, special gift bags, coffee bags, cello bags with stars or puppies printed on them (Why yes, there will be a gluten-free pooch gift, you can bake post, coming soon) then I embellish them with stickers, handmade tags-there will be a post on these very soon as well, tissue, doilies, and sometimes a card. You can get these items at the following places:
-The dollar store
-Dollar Max
-Dollar tree
-Arts & crafts shops
-Michael's (This is more expensive, so I go there less)
-Bulk barn
-Specialty packaging places. Here in town we have a place called L'Emballages tout, it's great because they supply packaging of all sorts, one may order in smaller quantities or bigger, they cater to small businesses & individuals, have environmentally friendly choices, things go on special, and they have beautiful options for the holiday's. I will add a link down below.
In the above picture, the blue & white holiday Chinese take-out container, was filled with cookies I chose for specific people, and then I added the Ho Ho Ho sticker which came from the dollar max, along with some white tissue paper from the dollar store.
In the next picture below, you can see a tin with a reindeer, I get all my tins at the dollar store. I also save money and the planet by telling whoever gets them, to return them in good condition the minute they finish their cookies. They often forget but come the end of November, beginning of December, they let me know they have them, drop them off, or they go hunting for them when I ask for them back. The rule is: If you have received a cookie tin, you must return the cookie tin to get more cookies. No tin=no cookies, unless they buy a new tin.
You may be saying, "She's so cheap!"
No, I am frugal, cannot stand waste, believe adults can be responsible for the small task of returning a tin, care about the planet, do not have money to waste, and do not need to spend my precious time hunting for new tins before they sell out, which BTW, tins get more scarce and more expensive every year. When I first started cookie making gifts, tins were 2/$1.00. Now they average $2.50-$4.00 plus taxes each, money I prefer to spend on quality ingredients, and believe me, when you have 25-30 tins to purchase, buying them again is not an expense one appreciates.
Trust me, they want the cookies-badly!
They will find their tins, or get a new one. Don't you dare give an inch on this rule, you are trying to cut costs, not incur new one's that are not your responsibility. Obviously for the first time you need to shell out but after that, no touchie. This only applies for tins, any boxes that are made out of paper product cannot be reused a year down the road; they pool grease spots and crumbs get stuck in them. Not safe or appetizing.
As for the Holiday Chinese take-out containers, anywhere from $0.78-$0.99 each at the Bulk Barn, here in Canada.
The picture of the corrugated box down below with the clear window top and several cookie flavours, is a more expensive choice but is made from recycled & recyclable Kraft paper. They also make for a beautiful presentation. There are two sizes, the big one's were about $2.95 a piece, while the smaller boxes were $3.75 a piece. I know it's weird but the smaller boxes are more expensive for the company to make, so they charge more, it's also more wasteful Kraft paper wise to make them.
I got them at L'Emballages Tout.
If you want the recipe, here is the link: (It's the same cookie in the box with the red tissue and retro baggie. I got the retro bag at L'emballages Tout, the link is further down below.
http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2014/12/gluten-free-spiced-mayan-gold-meltaway.html
http://www.emballagetout.ca/
Another package option is putting your stack of cookie gifts in a fancy glass jar, this way the person has a beautiful container that can be reused, the presentation is stunning, and you can add a pretty festive ribbon to tie in the holiday season. Look how gorgeous the presentation can be, and who doesn't enjoy a delectable classic chocolate chip cookie? The recipe link for those is here:
http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2014/11/gluten-free-classic-chocolate-chip.html
There are many ways to give gifts, you can even put your cookies in holiday Ziploc bags and then wrap them or put them in a gift bag that you can embellish yourself. The dollar store has 3-5 plain Kraft bags for $1.00. You can get the kids on board by having them decorate the bags. If they are smaller, be there with them as they colour directly on the bags, or even paste a Christmas collage from holiday magazine ads or old cards, they can cut out and glue on.
Cookies can also be baked with the kids (see earlier part of post & rules) and they can give a gift they feel proud that they made. Don't fuss about perfection or people balking, if they don't have the good graces to accept something made with love, then they need a gentle reminder about the true meaning of the season.
Remember, the holidays are about giving from the heart, keeping it simple, being grateful and sharing the spirit of our Lord & savior Jesus Christ.
And now we move onto a terrific recipe, this gives you a way to use up those leftover bananas, sparks up nostalgia, and tastes like a warm hug. As always they are gluten-free!
GF PECAN BANANA BREAD COOKIE:
Difficulty : Easy-Medium
Cost Range: Low to medium
Time : 1 hour 30 mins (this includes flour blend making, chill times and baking)
Yields: 30-36 cookies
Freezes: Beautifully 1-2 months
Preheat Oven to 350° F
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup Vegetable oil 2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
11/2 tsp Baking powder
2/3 Cup almond milk soured with 1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Ripe Large Bananas mashed
1 tsp Sea salt
2 1/4 Cup GF Flour Cake Mix-Sarah's (recipe follows )
3/4 Cup Cane sugar
1/4 Cup Brown sugar (plus an extra 1/4 Cup for sprinkling before baking)
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Real Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Chopped Pecans, can substitute for Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips for those with nut allergies
METHOD:
-In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda & baking powder.
-In a mixer beat sugars and oil together.
-Add eggs & mashed bananas, beat.
-Add flour in three parts, when adding the last addition, add vanilla and almond milk extract to help moisten the dough as you make the additions of flour.
-Add nuts or chocolate chips last and beat until incorporated.
-Scoop about 1 tbsp for each cookie, place on parchment lined baking tray. 3 down and 4 across.
-Sprinkle with brown sugar and put in freezer for 5 mins.
-Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Make sure to turn the tray half way after 5 minutes for even baking.
-Cool on tray for 3 minutes and transfer to rack to finish cooling.
This is a nice light & fluffy cookie, it's like little morsel of banana bread goodness.
Bonne Appétit & remember to share a taste tester with someone you love.
I have a friend who is deathly allergic to cinnamon, so I remove his cookies and place them on a tray with pecans on top, before I add cinnamon to the batter. The pecans on top help me differentiate which one's are safe to put in his cookie tin.
This recipe for the flour blend mix comes from an amazing gluten-free blogger, who's named Sarah. I am including the link to her blog right after this paragraph, so you can check out her page if you so desire.
I really like the texture this flour blend gives to my cakes & cookies, I know 9 cups seems like a lot but I will be posting two more recipes that use this flour mix, along with my own additions, and you will need it; so you may as well make the full 9 cups. If this is too expensive, just half the recipe, store in an airtight container until ready to use.
GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR BLEND CAKES
(SARAH’S)
Makes 9 cups
INGREDIENTS:
4
C BROWN RICE FLOUR
2
C SWEET SORGHUM FLOUR
2
C POTATO STARCH
1/2
C TAPIOCA STARCH
1/2
C ARROWROOT STARCH
3
tsp XANTHAM GUM
METHOD:
-BLEND
ALL TOGETHER, SIFT & STORE.
I did this recipe last year for the first time, it's from another blog and wow! Was it good.
It's rich, chocolatey, chewy, nice bit of crunch, gooey, and a true bite of childhood memories. VERY SWEET though.
Here is the blog link to the original recipe, I have my recipe right after in case you did not want to go searching.
http://amandeleine.com/2013/03/27/rocky-road-cookies/
GF ROCKY ROAD COOKIES:
Difficulty : Easy to Medium
Cost Range: Medium
Time : 25 mins (does not include chill times)
Yields: 2-3 dozen cookies
Freezes: Beautifully 1 month
Preheat Oven to 350° F
Difficulty : Easy to Medium
Cost Range: Medium
Time : 25 mins (does not include chill times)
Yields: 2-3 dozen cookies
Freezes: Beautifully 1 month
Preheat Oven to 350° F
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
2/3 Cup High End Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp Sea salt
3 Large Egg Whites
1 Tbsp Real Vanilla Extract
2 Cups bitter sweet or semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 Cup Slivered almonds
2-3 Cups Mini Marshmallows
METHOD:
-In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients together. Keep aside.
-In another bowl combine wet ingredients together.
-Add wet to dry and mix well.
-In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients together. Keep aside.
-In another bowl combine wet ingredients together.
-Add wet to dry and mix well.
-Drop by small scoopful on parchment lined cookie tray, these spread a lot so don't crowd them. 3 across 4 down.
-Place mini marshmallows on cookies, I do a lot because I love them. 5-7 on each cookie.
-Chill in freezer 5 minutes and then bake in preheated oven for 12-13 minutes until marshmallows are golden brown.
-Remove from tray after 5 minutes and allow to cool.
Bonne Appétit & remember to share a taste tester with someone you love.
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