December's Festive Cinq a Sept

Happy New Year ~

A bit tardy with keeping our blog up to date. Our December Cinq a Sept was truly a holiday fete. Quistmas Quocktails were flowing and the dining room table was groaning with platters of Christmas baking. Everyone brought their 5 dozen Christmas Cookies and we had a bountiful exchange. It certainly helped the MacLeans with their Christmas entertaining to have these tasty treats in the freezer ready for serving. Thanks to all the bakers and chocolatiers!

Hey - did you notice? We’ve got our 1st photos for the blog, courtesy of Sheila – many thanks!

And here is Sheila’s recipe for her

Chocolate Mint Shortbread

Makes 24 – 30 cookies

½ c margarine or butter
½ c superfine sugar
1 c plain flour
1 c. rice flour
2 Tbsp dried crushed chocolate mint leaves

Cream margarine (or butter) and stir in mint and flours.
Mix until blended well and not too sticky. Add a bit of flour if necessary.
Roll into cylinders about 12” long, with a diameter of 1 ½”
Wrap in plastic and freeze for an hour or two.
Slice into ¼” slices and place on parchment paper lining cookie sheet.
Bake 8 – 10 min @ 325 degrees.
Drizzle with Tollhouse Chocolate (that was melted in the microwave), using a pastry bag or a plastic baggie, with a hole cut in one corner.


Quistmas Quocktails
We definitely put the Q in Quistmas with this yummy, festive concoction
1 oz crème de cacao
1 oz vodka

Garnish cocktail glass rim with chopped candy cane and use a candy cane for your garnish.

Christmas Candy Cane Chocolate Cookies
Makes 120 1 ½” cookies

3 c flour
1 c cocoa powder (Dutch process recommended)
½ tsp salt
2 c sugar
1 ½ c butter (room temp)
2 eggs

Icing

1 ½ c powdered sugar
1 c butter
¾ tsp peppermint extract
6 drops of red food colouring (or to your taste to make a pink icing)
½ c crushed red & white candy canes

Cookies

Whisk flour, cocoa & salt in a large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar & butter in another large bowl until well-blended. Beat in eggs. Add dry ingredients in small batches; beat until blended. Chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop out dough with the large end of a melon baller. Roll each ball until smooth, then press down on cookie sheet with bottom of a glass. Bake until cookies no longer look wet and small indentations appear when lightly touched. (8 ½ min). Do not overbake. Cool cookies for 5 min. Transfer to racks and cool completely.

Icing

Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar & butter until well-blended. Add peppermint extract and red food colouring.
Spread using 1 tsp of icing on cookies. Repeat for batch. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top. Freezes well.





Next Cinq a Sept will be held on Friday, February 5th, when we will be having a very special celebration for a very special guest. Please join us!