Back when we lived in France there was a lot of people that I wanted to let know I appreciated them at Christmas time. My friends there were like family and of course they needed to be acknowledged but I didn’t want to buy them random gifts or a box of chocolates. I wanted it to be more thoughtful and personal.
I learned to cook in France, but I’m not really a baker. I thought I’d give it a try and what I started gifting every year became known as ‘Lisa’s Tin of Sin’.
Every year I say “I’m not going to do it”, either because I live in some crazy place where I can’t find ingredients, or because I want to avoid the 5-7 pounds that I gain during the week of baking. This year I was singing the same tune. Now that I was working full time, I DEFINITELY did not have time to tackle the tin(s) of sin. Yet, once I made a mental list of everyone I wanted to get a little something for(the kids’ teachers, the ladies at before and after school care, our cleaner, the dance teachers, the aide in my classroom etc etc) I realized that, like always, I didn’t want to just go out and buy 10 boxes of chocolates. SO, I started baking.
This post is really for my expat girlfriends who have experienced the tin along the way, because every year I get messages asking for the recipes. The tin varies from year to year…sadly, I didn’t do the Baiely’s truffles this year(with double the recommended amount of Bailey’s).
But here’s the general idea of why my jeans get a little snug every holiday season.
Starting with a new item to the tin this year: Mini Cannelés Bordelais. It’s a French specialty from Bordeaux that my Parisian friend taught me in Congo. You can find the recipe here on My Expat Kitchen. I usually spill in a little extra rum, just like with the Bailey’s…cause I’m crazy like that!
I actually had to make a second batch of these because Kevin and the kids inhaled the first round. Okay, maybe I took part too.
Next up, the chocolate/caramel/pretzel thingy. Overseas I always used chocolate Reisins or some version of that, because it’s the closes I could find to Rolos. This year I had access to Rolos but then quickly realized that the Reisins actually work much better.
The recipe, or a version of the recipe, for these little guys can be found here. Sometimes I use pecans, sometimes I use peanut M&Ms.
For these delicious little short breads, I used a version of this recipe, but left off the sugar on top, because really, the cookies are basically butter and sugar already, which is why they’re delicious!
Next into the tin is the bark. It’s probably the easiest and fastest thing I make. Get the biggest bars of baking chocolate you can find and melt it, either over a double broiler or in the microwave. I add a little spoon full of coconut oil so that it spreads easier. Pour it onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and add whatever tickles your fancy. This year I used what I had handy: craisins, chopped nuts, and salted pumpkin seeds. Then I sprinkled some pink sea salt on top for the salty/sweet effect and let it cool/harden and then break up into pieces. In the past white chocolate with pistachios and craisins was a big hit and it looked festive too.
I promise this next one will be a fan favourite! I forgot to take a picture of mine before they went into the tins, but here’s a picture from the recipe I used.
They turn out just like the picture if you use this recipe, and I topped mine with chopped nuts!
Chocolate dipped macaroons are next…not to be confused with the French macaron, which I love, but find slightly time consuming to make a home.
I got my recipe from a new friend at work, but this recipe I found online is almost exactly the same. I side dipped my coconut macaroons because I copied my friend, but they bottom dip in the online recipe.
A new addition to the Christmas baking is nuts and bolts. It’s a side addition to the tin, but pairs wonderfully with “Christmas cheer” at a party, or pop them into a Christmas bag a gift it out!
It’s not pretty, but here’s a pic of the recipe I made. I followed the second one, ‘Taneen’s Recipe’, but don’t ask me who the heck Taneen is, because I got this from a friend.
I added a random chocolate chip recipe to a few tins and that about sums up this year’s tin of sin. It’s not my best work, like I said, the Bailey’s truffles will be missed. But considering I’m working full time for the first time in forever, we’ve had a couple colds, AND a case of pneumonia in our house, plus I’ve had to orchestrate two kindergarten Christmas concerts; I’d say I did alright!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a GOOD NIGHT!!