Chocolate CHRISTMAS Crackle Cookies

Who doesn't love a good Christmas cookie recipe? Baking (and eating) cookies is one of my favourite parts of the holiday season. This year, my boys and I are loving these chocolate Christmas crackle cookies. They are simple to make, fudgey in the middle, crispy on the edges... and they look great on a Christmas cookie tray.

To make Chocolate Christmas Crackle Cookies:

 

Gather your ingredients:

•         ½ vegetable oil
•         2 cups granulated sugar
•         4 eggs
•         2 tsp real vanilla
•         2 cups flour
•         1 cup unsweetened cocoa
•         2 tsp baking powder
•         1 tsp salt
•         1 tsp cinnamon
•         Approx. ½ icing sugar for coating

Then:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.      In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3.      In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
4.      Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
5.      Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (using a cookie scoop), and then completely coat each ball by rolling it in icing sugar.
6.      Place the balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet (leaving room for spreading), and bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should be crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. Cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

I think a cookie chacuterie board is wonderful for holiday entertaining, and these cookies make a great addition to a tray of goodies. 

Check out the cookie board I made for my boys this year. I filled a couple of dishes with chocolates, stacked my chocolate Christmas crackle cookies in the middle, and filled the extra spaces with store bought cookies. Cute, right?

Do you have a favourite cookies? I highly recommend giving these chocolate Christmas crackle cookies a try. If you make them, let me know what you think.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also enjoy the awesome Christmas cookie recipes here.

5 Easy Ways to "Gift" Local Products this Year

Disclosure: I received compensation from Perennia for including the Antigonish Farmer's Market products in this post; however, be assured that the opinions expressed in this blog are 100% my own.

Is there anything better than supporting locally made products? I love to browse my community farmer's market each week, and I'm never disappointed with the products I purchase. This year, why not consider the wonderful products available in your communtity as gifts for your family and friends? Below, I'm sharing a few EASY ways to "gift" local products this Christmas.

1) Give the gift of a meal - I love the idea of spending time with family and friends while enjoying a meal together, and farmer's markets make it easy to get all the fresh ingredients you need. My local market, the Antigonish Farmer's Market, even has complete meal kits you can purchase. Check out the fantastic dinner kit they are selling here.

Each Holiday Meal Box contains:

– Pork or Beef roast from Forever Green Farm & Gardens or Westerwind Farm

– Bee Sting Honey Mustard or Bee Sting BBQ Sauce from Cornect Family Farm 

– Bag of carrots from Lochaber Growers

– Bag of potatoes from Forever Green Farm & Gardens

– Large onion from Casey’s Vegetables 

– 6-pack of biscuits from Nanny’s Country Kitchen

– Pecan tarts from Swick’s Bakery

2) Give the gift of time together - People are very busy this time of year, so a quick "meet up" for appetizers and drinks is a wonderful idea. Treat your friends and family to great conversation and locally sourced drinks and appetizers. Check out the fantastic appetizer box available to order from the Antigonish Farmer's Market here.

Each Holiday Appetizer Box contains:

– $20 Liquor Gift Certificate from Steinhart Distillery or Candid Brewing or Coldstream clear Distillery

– 2 Pepperoni Sticks from Forever Green Farm & Gardens

– Dunmaglass cheese from Knoydart Farm

– Peppercorn cheese from  Knoydart Farm

– Bread Chips from Martins Fine Bakery

– Hummus from Martins Fine Bakery

3) Give the gift of self care - I love thoughtful gifts, and there are many wonderful "self care" options available locally. The Antigonish Farmer's Market has a wonderful holiday box here.

The Holiday Gift Box contains:

– Bath bombs from TresBien Naturals Bath & Body

– Picture from Melinda by the Sea

– Earrings from Simply Lovely

– 2-pack of cleansing cloths & cloth bookmarks from Liss & Landi

I also love the idea of pairing quality handmade items with inexpensive trinkets. I packaged the content of my holiday gift box with a dollar store throw and "mindfulness" notepad, and I think it looks great!

4) Use fun gift tags - Small gifts can be made extra special by adding a punny gift tag. I found these adorable honey-based sauces at my farmer's market, and I made a cute tag for them. It says, "Merry Christmas to my SWEET & SAUCY friend". Cute, right?

I also made tags that say, "Spreading Christmas Cheer one jar at a time." These tags would work with any jar of goodies made locally.

To download the tags I designed: click on the tags below, right-click, save them to your computer, and print them like regular 4x6 photos.

5) Share your talents - I love the idea of sharing special talents with family and friends during the holidays. It's a wonderful way to make a gift extra special. 

For example, if you are crafty, you could make a special beer mug and pair it with a few cans of local ale. And if you are good in the kitchen, you could also add your favourite homemade granola or trail mix.

You could also update a dollar store cutting board with a ribbon (and maybe a monogram) to pair with local ingredients for a charcuterie board.

*** BONUS ***

If you don't know exactly what to give, gift certificates are always great... especially if you give them in a creative way. Check out the fun idea below!

Cut a paper towel roll to fit inside a jar, place it in the jar, fill the outside with Christmas candy, and stick a gift certificate in the centre. The Antigonish farmers market has several great options here.

Then, add some twine and cute dollar store ornament, and you are good to go!

I think these are all fantastic ways to "gift" local products this Christmas. Which of my ideas is your favourite?

I hope I've inspired you to shop locally this year. I know I'm loving all the wonderful Nova Scotia products the Antigonish Farmer's Market has to offer.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

THREE Boho Christmas Decor Pieces (that look high end and you can make for only a few dollars)

I am loving the boho trend that is popular right now, and it's popping up in a lot of my Christmas decor this year. It's cozy, unique, budget friendly and super cute. Check out three of my favorite DIY boho decor pieces below.

1) Tassel tree picture - How cute is this tassel tree picture that I made using a dollar store wooden canvas? I painted the inside of the frame red, taped it off, and painted the outside white. Then, I made tassels, glued them to the frame, and added embellishments and a beaded hanger. It's adorable, only cost a few dollars to make, and looks really high end. Find the full tutorial here.

And check out this "how to" video on YouTube.

2) Santa ornament - This is a fantastic boho craft that is fun for kids and adults. If you can cut and loop a piece of yarn, you can easily make this simple Santa. Find the step by step instructions here.

3) Yarn and Pom Pom Wreath - I love the simplicity of this red, white, and green wreath. The bottom is made with strips of yarn looped around a jute covered ring, and then pom poms are added to the top. Colours are totally customizable, and you don't need to be super-crafty to make this. It would be fun to make with a group of family or friends too! You can find all the step by step instructions here.

Are you a fan of boho decor? I think it's a fun and unique way to decorate for Christmas. Which of these three projects is your favourite? I think the tassel tree is mine, but I really do love them all!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the Christmas DIYs here.

Boho Christmas Tassel Tree... made with a dollar store canvas

I am loving the boho home decor trend that is really popular right now... and I thought it would be fun to incorporate it into my Christmas decor this year. How cute is this simple boho Christmas tree picture made from a dollar store canvas?

I started with: a wooden dollar store canvas, yarn, dollar store paint (in red and white), and a wood piece / stick.

Then, I painted the inside of the canvas red, let it dry, taped it off, and painted the frame white. You can use any colours you want, but I liked the red and white.

Then, make a bunch of tassels, and glue them to the canvas. If you have never made tassels before, check out the easy to follow video here.

Finish by adding a hanger to the back. I used a bead garland, secured with hot glue and popsicle sticks... but a piece of twine would work too.

How cute is this???

If you need a bit more help, check out the "how to video" here.

Are you a fan of boho Christmas decor? I think this Christmas tassel tree is adorable, and it looks great hanging on my door. Let me know if you make one!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the Christmas DIYs here.

GNOME for the Holidays (DIY felt Christmas Ornament)

 Gnomes are super trendy right now, and what could be cuter than a "GNOME for the holidays" Christmas ornament? I love a good pun, and I am really loving the adorable gnome ornaments I made for my friends and family this year. Today, I'm sharing the step by step instructions (and the templates you need) to make this super-cute felt Christmas ornament.

First, download and print the templates I created. Click on the photo below, right-click, and print it like a regular 8x10 photo. You can also insert it into a Word document and print it that way.

Cut a hat from red felt, a beard from white felt, a shirt from grey felt, and a nose from pink felt.

Then... (per the picture below) sew the beard to the to the shirt, and the hat to the beard. Finish the front of the gnome by sewing on the nose and button at the top.

To make the back of the gnome, trace the assembled pieces onto a piece of red felt, and cut out. Sew a hanger to the back piece, and then sew the front and back pieces together.

Isn't it adorable?

I can't wait to send out these darling gnomes with my Christmas cards this year. I hope you make a few for your friends and family too!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the felt ornament ideas here.

DIY Christmas BOHO Yarn Wreath

I love inexpensive seasonal decor, don't you? Earlier this year, I made fun Spring and Fall "Boho" wreaths,  and I knew I had to make another one using Christmas colours. When you see how easy this wreath is to make, you're going to immediately hop in your car to get the supplies you need to make it. Check out the photos and step by step instructions for this gorgeous BOHO Christmas yarn wreath below.

Start by getting the supplies you need: yarn in Christmas colours, a wire wreath frame, and twine.

Then:


1) Use a plain gold wire wreath frame, or wrap a wire wreath frame with twine (securing periodically with hot glue).


2) Wrap yarn around a piece of cardboard (the length that you want your hanging to be). My cardboard was 20 inches, and I wrapped it around 15 times.

3) Cut one end of the wrapped yarn and loop the strands over the wreath frame and pull through... per the photos below. Repeat 5 times with whatever colours you want to use.

4) Trim the bottom of the yarn with sharp scissors.

5) Embellish the top of the frame with pom poms. (I tied mine on, and then secured with hot glue.)

Note: If you have never made pom pom befores, you can check out the video here.

That's it! I just love how it turned out. Don't you?

I love a good DIY piece of home decor, and I love that you can customize this Boho yarn wreath using whatever colour yarn you desire. What colours will you use to make your own unique piece of Christmas decor?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

A Birthday Letter to my Oldest Son (on his 16th birthday)

Every year, on each of my boys' birthdays, I write them a letter. My hope is that I can capture a "snap chat" of their personalities each year. Today, my oldest son turns 16, and I can hardly believe it! Here's his birthday letter.

My sweet first born son,

It seems like only yesterday you were a baby in my arms, and now you are getting ready to drive and only one year away from graduating from high school. I honestly can not believe how quickly the years are flying by.

It's sad for me to see my little boy slipping away, but I couldn't be prouder of the young man that you are becoming. I am grateful every day that I get to be your mom.

• You LOVE sports... especially golf and hockey, but you have many other interests as well. You especially enjoy: playing outside with your brothers, hockey pools and video games with your buddies, playing guitar, reffing, movie nights, and spending time with family.

• You've faced the adversity of multiple broken bones over these past few years, but you focussed on your diet and fitness, and you are having a great hockey season. Your positive attitude and strong work ethic make me so proud of you!

• You are a master of time management. You make balancing sports, school, and social activities look effortless.

• Your brothers are your best buddies, you love your cousins, and you have tons of friends. 

• Peanut butter sandwiches, pasta, and steak are your favourite foods. You love the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews is your favourite hockey player, and your hockey number is 34.

Happy birthday my darling boy. You may be turning into an adult and driving a car, but you'll always be my first baby. I love you to the moon and back!

Love, 

Mom

xo