During what will forever be known as our most efficient night of baking/multitasking ever, my friends and I discovered we are definitely not baking artists (except for Kaiʻolu at times and when Brandon is being overly OCD). Because I hosted the Christmas party, I chose to make classic sugar Christmas cookies that could be decorated and coconut hot chocolate (because who doesn’t love a hot glass of chocolate haupia?) with both whipped cream and marshmallows. Both recipes were found on popular food blogs with the sugar cookies coming from Joy Food Sunshine and the coconut hot chocolate shared by Half Baked Harvest. We started by making the cookie dough before dinner so it could chill in the fridge for an hour and a half before rolling out and cutting. The ingredients and process were super simple:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter (softened, not melted like Kaiʻolu made it)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Frosting and sprinkles of choice
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar together with either a mixer or a spatula and add eggs and vanilla.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, and combine.
- Keep dough in a covered bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Once dough is hardened, roll into small sections 1/4″ diameter thick.
- Cut out into shapes with cookie cutters.
- Bake cookies in oven for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden around edges.
- Let cookies cool on a rack until completely cooled.
- Frost and add sprinkles to your taste.
The coconut hot chocolate on the other hand required a lot more work that only seems worth it at a holiday party or when friends come over. We followed the Half Baked Harvest recipe, which, while it was a great starting point, needed much more tweaking and adjustments. Mikayla enjoyed each time we dipped a new spoon into the coconut hot chocolate pot and grimaced or groaned about “something’s still missing” until we had to let it be. Here’s what the original recipe (with our adjustments) calls for:
Ingredients:
- 3 cans coconut milk
- 1/4 cup cow milk
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Marshmallows and whipped cream to taste
- 1 dash cinnamon
Instructions:
- Place coconut milk, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla in a pot on medium low heat.
- Stir pot often and make sure milk isn’t burning.
- Allow coconut hot chocolate to simmer while stirring for at least 10-15 minutes.
- Once hot chocolate is ready, serve in crystal glasses or mugs and top with whipped cream, marshmallows, and a dash of cinnamon (you could even add a cinnamon stick on the side!).
