Christmas, Holidays

They said there’d be snow at Christmas

December 20, 2012

 

…They said there’d be peace on Earth. But instead it just keeps on raining.

Well, it did snow in Metro Vancouver this week. And what happened? Vancouverites Freaked OUT. After being in the Great White North that is Prince George last weekend the snow down here was nothing compared to the massive amount up there. Of course, we in Vancouver scoff at the thought of it actually snowing for Christmas, and for this reason most people don’t buy snow tires for the off chance we might get it for a day or so. More often than not it will snow one day, and then shortly turn into a lacklustre rain fall that turns the glorious white fluff into mushy, dirty, gritty snow melt.

{We visited the little gold rush town of Barkerville and took our own private wintery tour during its closed season.  Weird that I was there for a family vacation about 10 years ago}

{If I were a teacher back then, this would totally have been my classroom}

{We also went snowmobiling – and it was awesome}

However for the short time we have snow, it certainly causes an awful amount of transportation woes for the travellers and commuters. Tuesday there were dozens of semi trucks , stalled, in a ditch or stuck on a hill. Not to mention the other car accidents, and the fact that our new $3.3 billion bridge became a seriously hazardous weapon thrusting down large icicles towards the motorists below, causing it to be completely shut down for a good portion of the afternoon.

Thankfully I had the option of staying home. This week has consisted of a lot of organizing, ok, a little house organizing, a lot of relaxing, and an even larger amount of Christmas baking. The week leading up to Christmas is always a busy one! I can safely say I am finished my Christmas shopping, however, I am still doing some last minute baking.

One of the many things I love about our new house is its location. We can walk easily to pretty much anything we might need, clothing, food, home improvement stores etc. It’s all within walking distance in a great little community which makes it so easy to keep my car in the garage when the weather is not so driver-friendly. I’d rather walk than take a chance of it ending up somewhere I’d rather not be, or finding myself at the receiving end of another drivers mishap.

Thankfully, or rather sadly, the snow has disappeared now for the most part and we can carry on our way. Although I would love snow on Christmas Day. Tomorrow night is an annual get together at a close friends house and I’m super excited! I’ve got a tray of goodies ready to go, and I’m making a roasted garlic and white bean dip to bring too.

{a little bite of salted heavenly goodness}

And now for another great no-bake dessert to bring this holiday season and share with friends. I’ve made these before for Halloween, here, and they are seriously good.

This time however I wanted to make them a little more festive. I used Dark Chocolate, and sprinkled some sea salt on top. I didn’t have any graham crumbs/crackers on hand, so I decided to improvise.

With what you may ask? Well, I simply ground up some pretzels and threw them in with the Almond Butter. The pretzels, dark chocolate and sea salt all taste delicious together. Trust me. And, if you aren’t allergic to Peanut Butter like me, you can also make these with PB instead.

Salted Almond Butter & Pretzel Cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup Almond Butter
Handful of Pretzels
Sea Salt

Directions:
1. Line a mini muffin tin with mini cupcake liners, set aside.
2. Melt dark chocolate in microwave safe bowl in one minute intervals at 60% power until completely melted, stir.
3. Drop a teaspoon full of melted chocolate into bottom of mini cupcake liner and press up the sides slightly. Repeat for all liners and  place in fridge to chill for a few minutes until hardened.
4. In a food processor grind pretzels until crushed, but not a powder. Alternatively you can chop then hammer them with a meat hammer. To avoid having them fly everywhere I suggest place them inside a plastic ziplock, not fully closed.
5. Combine Almond Butter with Ground Pretzels in small bowl. Remove muffin tin from fridge and spoon small ball of Almond Butter mixture into the centre of the chocolate disk.
6. Spoon enough of remaining melted chocolate on top of almond butter until completely covered. Sprinkle tops with coarse sea salt. Return finished tray to the fridge to chill completely.
These can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for late night cravings. They are even better cold.
Chop

Mix

Spoon

Cover

 

Salt

Enjoy.

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5 Comments

  • Reply Andrea December 21, 2012 at 6:37 AM

    Your Treats last night so so Good!

  • Reply Nancy @ gottagetbaked December 28, 2012 at 2:13 PM

    Isn’t it insanity here how transportation SHUTS DOWN at a few centimeters of snow? I live in Richmond where driving is hazardous in the best weather conditions, so I took the skytrain to work that day. Thankfully the train was running because usually, the tracks freeze on snow days and everyone gets stranded. I love how they tell us to take public transit but buses and skytrains are usually the first to get stuck in the snow! I’m glad you were able to stay cozy at home and were able to make these amazing, simple, delicious treats! Happy holidays!

    • Reply Alicia December 31, 2012 at 8:45 AM

      yes it is! I had to take two sky trains and a bus to get to SFU for a couple years and it definitely sucked! Lots of delays, and busses were always stuck on the mountain when it snowed! Hope you have a great holiday! And happy new year!

  • Reply Chewy Gingersnap Cookies – gluten free, flourless & vegan – b a k e a h o l i c November 28, 2014 at 4:15 PM

    […] old and new, to bake for the holidays. There are definite favourites – the Nanaimo Bar Bites, Salted Almond Butter & Pretzel Cups,  Almond Butter Blossom Cookies,  Dark Chocolate Fruit & Nut […]

  • Reply Caramel Peanut Butter Cups – b a k e a h o l i c December 5, 2014 at 10:15 AM

    […] You can also make the other version from last year,  Salted Almond Butter & Pretzel Cups. […]

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