Although Thanksgiving has long passed, the end of the year is another important time to appreciate those who have made your life better throughout 2009. Those people like your landlord, doorman, hairdresser, and postman should be acknowledged with a small token. Not only will it be appreciated by them, but it will be remembered through 2010 when you need your plumbing fixed or a last minute hair appointment. This gift is truly the one that will keep giving back to you. Most etiquette books will recommend a large tip around the holidays, but if you are a 24-year-old writer like myself, baking something is much more economical and thoughtful!
Festive Cookies
*I have made these from scratch, but in the spirit of this holiday... errr recession... and saving time, I adapted the recipe using store bought cookie dough and measured ingredients for a high yield. Your grocery store tab should run around $14 for 4 dozen cookies. This should provide you with enough cookies for 6 or 7 gifts.
Ingredients
2 rolls of sugar cookie dough
(I used Pillsbury)
12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 stick of butter
6 oz. of sliced almonds
Colored sprinkles
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by placing a SILPAT sheet on top or lightly greasing the pan.
To achieve a professional-looking circle roll the dough in your hand into a ball the size of a jaw breaker, place on the baking sheet, and then lightly press the top with your palm. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until they garner just a touch of color. Let the cookies cool on the pan for only a minute or two before moving them to a flat surface for decorating.
In a double boiler, place the chocolate chips and the butter and put over low heat. Continue stirring the chocolate for a few minutes while the mixture melts. Remove from heat once and let cool for two minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to be spread.
Using an old-fashioned spatula, spread the chocolate on half of the cookie. The chocolate should feel like a frosting at this point. While the chocolate is still soft, add colored sprinkles or sliced almonds if you want a more elegant look.
To create the fish scale look, layer the sliced almonds from the outer edge to the center. Use the broken off slices for the bottom layers and the best looking slices for the top, exposed layer. Put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or more to make sure the chocolate is completely hardened before packaging them.
Place cookies on a disposable plate and wrap with cellophane and ribbon. For a more homemade look, stack the cookies in a small mason jar and add colorful ribbon.
And that's my little gift to you, ForkEnvy reader.
xoxo,
ForkEnvy
2 comments:
mmmmm those sound exquisite! makes me wish i was your mailman...
Stop making me drool! A small but memorable improvement on this: I had the chance to review Verterra plates, which come anywhere from 4 inch square to ginormous platter, all made out of one thing: Palm leaves, shaped by steam and chilling. They look like bamboo, are quite tough, reasonably priced, and totally unique. And yeah, super sustainable, this company doesn't mess around. Check them out at www.verterra.com I've started seeing them at a lot of stores, Whole Foods among them.
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