Wednesday, January 05, 2011

{Holiday Baking}

I actually got around to doing some baking over the holiday season this year, and it brought
with it an unexpected reward.

Did you bake cookies in December?

I've seen some delicious goodness floating around blogland, and I was lucky enough
to get to sample a few baked goods in real life. In fact, I more than sampled. I indulged ...
repeatedly. My scale must be broken though. It says I haven't gained an ounce. I'm not
sure how that's possible, but I'll take it!

The holiday baking project I decided on was very simple, and I wrapped it up in one day.
That was my kind of time commitment.

I made white chocolate bark. Then David and I dipped and drizzled mini pretzels in white
chocolate. Of the three pretzels, we liked the drizzled ones best because it was just enough
sweetness for one bite. Simple and delicious.

To make the bark:
- Choose your toppings and chop them up. I went with raw almonds, dried apricots and dried cranberries.

- Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Set aside.

- Put 3/4 of your chocolate into a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Microwave
for another 30 seconds and stir. Repeat this until melted. Add remaining 1/4 of your
chocolate and stir together until smooth.

- Pour melted chocolate onto prepared cookie sheet in an even layer about 12" x 12" in size.

- While chocolate is still hot and melted, sprinkle generously with your toppings.

- Allow chocolate to harden in fridge for at least 20 minutes or on counter for two hours.

- Break into uneven sections and enjoy.











The most rewarding part of doing this was taking a little bit of the holiday spirit in treat form
to my neighbors. I don't know my neighbors well, at all. Doing this opened a door for me to
wish them a merry Christmas and happy New Year. I got to know a couple of them a little
better, and in one case, I actually met the woman who has lived three doors down from
me for the past four years. I'd say it was about time for that. :) It seemed to bring a smile to
their faces, and I notice I feel a little more connected to the people we live right next door to.
Handing out these simple baked goods felt like movement in the right direction for me to
becoming a better neighbor. I liked it.

1 comment:

Ale said...

Sam,

The pictures are beautiful and I am sure that you and David had fun doing all these together.
We did bake some peanut butter chocolate cookies and they came up ok, we were going to give them to my neighbors from the 1st and 2nd floor but they weren't good enough so didn't want to risk it. On the other hand, we didn't even get a happy holidays from them so I don't feel that bad after all haha! Great job, the treats look great!