No. 5 Containers for your confections!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Christmas cookies………….I simply adore them, of course my waistline doesn’t love them but that’s a discussion for another day!
I usually spend the weekend before Christmas doing my holiday baking, but I spend the weeks before searching for those perfect containers for my confections! Personalize the packages……..
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For your wine connoisseur ……..fill an ice bucket with cookies or a basket with wine glasses fill each wine glass with cookies!
- For your gardener ……….. fill a terracotta planter with your goodies tie off the top with a raffia ribbon and attach a new pair of gardening gloves.
- Your handy man………..how about a small tool box filled with cookies?
- Piano teacher …………… wrap a square gift box in sheet music
- Got a girlfriend that just ‘nip tucked’ her kitchen, inspired by Italian pottery?……….. fill a Italian platter with cookies she’ll be so touched!
- Painter……… fill a paint can, you can purchase empty cans at paint stores
Then there are my less personalized containers 
- Silver platters…………….here’s my little secret, check second hand stores for these! Goodwill here in CT many times has platters for $3.00
- Small sleighs …………. these you can pick up at discount stores or craft stores
- Clementine boxes……….I love these because they look like little crates! You will need to line the inside of the box
- Hurricanes …………… stack the cookies by flavor creating a layered look ……. or unique pattern!
Add small chocoaltates or candy canes to the package………
As a little added bonus……….. here is one of my favorite Christmas Confections ……. It is my own recipe, created especially for my husbands sweet tooth. I hope you enjoy it as much as he does!
Peanut butter Squares
1/2 1lb. package of Nutter Butter Cookies
3/4 stick of butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sweeten condensed milk
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 stick butter
1/4 cup confectionery sugar
Separate peanut butter from cookies and set aside. With a food processor grind cookies until fine. Mix next three ingredients, butter, baking powder & flour. Bake at 325 in 9X9 pan for 8 to 10 minutes.
Microwave condensed milk and chocolate chips approximately 2 minutes. Stir until mixed well. Spread 2/3 over baked crust.
Microwave peanut butter, confectionery sugar, butter and the peanutbutter centers you scraped out of the cookies approximately 30 seconds and mix well. Spread over chocolate.
Use remaining 1/3 of chocolate mixture to marbleize the top. Microwave for 20 seconds if needed, drop dollops and with knife create swirls in the peanut butter.
Refrigerate for 1 hour, cut into squares. Best if kept refrigerated.
Happy shopping for those unique containers………..and if your stuck and can’t think of a way to personalize a package, send me a note and I will see what I can do!
