Happiness & Joy Cookies

Hey Everyone! How is your December going? During the holiday season a lot of people have a cookie exchange which is the most amazing idea. You get to try a ton of different cookies; who wouldn’t love that?? Well here is cookie bar that I think everyone would like. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Sugar

1/3 cup Butter (unsalted, softened)

1/3 cup Canola Oil

1 large Egg

1 tbsp Milk

1 tsp Almond Extract

1 cup all-purpose Flour

2/3 cup whole-wheat Flour

1 ½ tsp Baking Powder

3 tbsp Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (melted)

3 tbsp Coconut (toasted)

½ cup Almonds (sliced)

 Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) Beat sugar, butter, oil, egg, milk and almond extract in a mixer until light and fluffy.

3) Stir in all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and baking powder until well blended. (The dough will be soft.) Spread the dough into the prepared baking pan in a thin layer.

4) Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut into 48 bars.

5) Decorate each bar with a drizzle of melted chocolate, a sprinkle of toasted coconut and an almond slice.

 

 

 

 

Dark Chocolate Strawberries

Hey Everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and fun Thanksgiving. Now it’s time to prepare for a new set of holidays. In the month of December I will post different recipes and tips for cookie exchanges, dishes to take to your holiday parties and ideas for Christmas morning and dinner. I will put a twist on some of your holiday favorites and give you some new ideas.

Ingredients:

6 ounces Semisweet Chocolate, (chopped)

1 pound Strawberries with stem, (washed & dried)

 

Directions:

1)      Put the semisweet heatproof medium bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. **

2)      Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries.

3)      Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

4)      Enjoy!

**Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.**