5 'Cookies in a Jar' Christmas Gift Ideas

Yesterday I visited the General Christmas Collective Market and was blown away by the assortment of crafty items that were on display created by local designers. It was really tempting not to go crazy and buy everything. Luckily, you had to get cash out so you were physically aware of how much you were spending. Yay!

I bought a couple of gifts for friends & family, but best of all I got some GREAT ideas of Christmas gifts I could make for others. I passed a stall that had assorted cookie mixes in glass milk bottles. I thought it was such a great idea I scoured there net for some ideas. And low and behold, these are the 5 best ones I found!

5 'Cookie in a Jar' Christmas Gift Ideas

1. Cranberry & White Chocolate Cookies from My Baking Addiction
2. Double Chocolate & Toffee Cookies from Crazy Little Projects
3. Chocolate Peppermint Cookies from Crazy Little Projects
4. Paleo Christmas Cookies from My Natural Family
5. Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies from The Frugal Girls

If you are stumped for ideas, go DIY and make a few 'Cookies in a Jar' gifts. Your baker friends and cookie loving family members will LOVE you for it!

xo Elise

P.S - 12 DIY advent calendar ideas

Image via MBA

Gooey Triple Chocolate Loaf!

I'm baaaaaaaaack!!! This time with a .com on the end of this fancy ol' url. It's been a while.. six months to be exact! And I have missed you. Like a lot. But the break I had was exactly what I needed to get clear on exactly what I want to do with this blog and where I'm headed..

But that's a totally different post altogether! One that requires a bit more thinking + breathing space.

So today I've got a DELECTABLE recipe for you. One I made several weeks ago that I swear I still dream about.

Choc-addicts, you're in for a.. heart attack!

But do we care?! DO WE EVEN CARE!?!?!

Not when it comes to this gooooooey triple choc loaf recipe I scored from The Londoner!! Altered to my liking of course ;)

But before we even get into it, I have to admit, I didn't even know chocolate loaves were a 'thing'. And when I told my colleagues about it, neither did they. Hrmph!

Those brits. They know how to do it differently I tell ya!


Ingredients

• 180g room temp butter
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup gluten free self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate melts
• 1/2 cup white chocolate melts

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 150c, then beat the butter and sugar until light & fluffy then stir in your eggs with flour, baking powder, cocoa, and milk.

Mix in your chocolate melts with the batter and stir until evenly distributed. Pour batter into a loaf tin then place in the oven for 45 minutes and then let the chocolate aroma waft through the house.

Once baked, take out of oven and place on a wire rack. Eat as you please. :)



Okay, I've got another confession to make.. My chocolate melts sank to the bottom of the tin because I melted the butter too much. Make sure you don't do this if you want the chocolate distributed evenly. On the other hand the loaf sort of became an upside down chocolate cake and it was still 1000% DELICIOUS!

xo Elise

P.S - 5 summer cocktails

Image via The Londoner

Sunday Reads #7: Matthew Lewis, Sleeping Doctors & Dennis the Dachshund

Wow! What a week it's been. I've spent most of the time out and about running a swim school, attending a children's services conference, painting (apparently creepy) masks, playing hockey, having dinner with friends and attending a pink ribbon breakfast!

What have you been up to?

1. Dark chocolate salted caramel marshmallows


2. Amish makeover story


3. I laughed so hard at what these Mothers confessed about their children!


4. I cried watching this couple age 70 years.


5. Sleeping doctors everywhere.


6. How could you not notice your partner proposing to you!?


7. Would you let your partner dress you?


8. Dennis the dieting Dachshund - dawwwwww...


9. Matthew Lewis *drool*


10. 29 dollar store buys that'll keep kids busy

xo Elise



Image via

Dark Choc + Salted Caramel Marshmallows

I've been on a baking craze this weekend.

And while browsing for recipes I discovered this dark chocolate and salted caramel dipped marshmallows recipe on Baker by Nature.

There is literally no reason you shouldn't be making these today.

Ingredients

• Dark chocolate melts
• Salted caramel sauce
• Large Marshmallows

Instructions

Dip the marshmallow into the caramel sauce. Melt the chocolate, then dip into the mix and place on baking paper to set.

xo Elise

Sunday Reads #6: Meals on-the-go, Mothers Day and a New Princess

Argh! This was the most abrupt start to a Sunday ever. I missed my alarm and woke up when I was supposed to be down at the Hockey turf. Springing out of bed, I fumbled around half asleep trying to find my uniform, scoffed down a banana and scurried out the door.

We lost.

Think I'll just go read some articles now..

1. If you haven't read it yet, check out My Blogging Story


2. There's a new princess in town


3. Woman leaves 95k job to sell ice cream on an island


4. 18 struggles of being an introverted extrovert


5. And now I'm crying too..


6. DIY Geode jewellery boxes!


7. Ahhhhh I love you friends memes


8. In June I will be spending 21 days here.. *yikes*


9. Tina Knowles (Lawson's) beautiful love letter to her daughters


10. And a meal-on-the-go green smoothie recipe!

xo Elise

P.S - Happy Mothers Day!