It’s employee appreciation day on Shelly’s Friday Favourites

Whether you work in a home office with a few employees or you have an office on the corner in a huge skyscraper, you probably think of your employees and coworkers as a little family. After all, you spend 8 hours or more per day with them, so you get to know each other fairly well.

That’s why Employee Appreciation Day is a such an important day to celebrate. Coming up this March 3rd, Employee Appreciation Day is a time when you can say thank you to everyone for a productive year and motivate them to keep up the hard work and positive attitudes for another year.

There are a lot of ways you can show appreciation to your employees, but one of the best things you can do is host a little appreciation celebration by bringing in some snacks. A lot of offices do this on birthdays, holidays, and days like employee appreciation day, and even coworkers get involved by bringing in their own treats.

If you want a snack to share for employee appreciation day or are just looking for a recipe to bring in on any day to brighten up your coworkers, it’s easy to whip something up in your kitchen. Here are a few recipes you’ll find that are easy and office-worthy.

Divine gluten-free chocolate cookie recipe

Not everyone in the office can stick to the same type of diet, but these gluten-free cookies will cover all of the bases. It doesn’t hurt that they’ve got a double-punch of chocolate, and they are so delicious that everyone will love them. Photo and recipe by food52.com.

Ingredients

2.5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheet(s)with parchment paper

In a bowl of standing mixer or large bowl with hand held mixer , mix powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt on low. Stir in the egg whites with a stand or hand mixer until the batter is well mixed. Stir in the vanilla extract and chocolate chips by hand. The batter will look weird. Don’t worry about it.

Using a small cookie scoop or spoon blob batter onto the baking trays, about an inch apart. They will spread a bit.

Bake until the cookies are cracking on the surface, about 15 minutes.

Let cool for ten minutes on the trays then carefully remove to cooling rack.

These will keep in covered container for three days but you’ll never keep them that long.

Office Cheese Straws Recipe

Oprah knows what she’s talking about: bringing in a savory recipe like these cheese straws will make you the hit of the office during a party or just at 3 pm on an afternoon that never seems to want to end. Photo and recipe from Oprah.com.

Ingredients

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika

Directions

On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the puff pastry into a large rectangle.

Beat the egg then brush the egg wash all over the pastry. Sprinkle about 3/4 of the cheeses over the pastry. Dust the cayenne and paprika evenly over the cheeses.

Fold the pastry on itself, sealing in the cheeses. Gently press on the folded dough, and then roll out the pastry again.

Brush the dough with egg. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the pastry.

Cut the dough into 10 long strips then cut the strips in half. Pick up each strip and twist it on itself. Stretch it and roll it until you’ve created a spiral.

Pinch the ends of each straw so they don’t start to unwind themselves. Refrigerate for an hour before baking.

Bake at 350° F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe

Everyone always brings muffins to the office, but why not give an office party a little twist by bringing in some cornbread instead. I’ve made this buttermilk cornbread many times and it’s absolutely amazing. If you want to add a little sweet to their treat you can bring in a jar of honey and some butter to drizzle on top. Photo and recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
    2/3 cup white sugar
    2 eggs
    1 cup buttermilk
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1 cup cornmeal
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
 Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Bacon Bark

This one will make you the hit of the entire office, and it’s so easy to make you could bring it in every week. Photo and recipe from spoonuniversity.com.

Ingredients

 2 12-oz bags dark chocolate chips
5 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup roasted and salted almonds

Directions

Step 1
In a small frying pan over medium heat, add bacon and sauté for about 5 minutes or until fully cooked.

Step 2
Place cooked bacon onto plate lined with paper towels to absorb the grease.
Chop bacon to desired size and set aside.

Step 4
Chop almonds and set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 6
Fill a small sauce pan with 1-2 inches of water.

Step 7
Bring water to a boil.

Step 8
Place a heatproof bowl over saucepan and add chocolate chips.
Melt chocolate slowly in double boiler, stirring continuously.

Step 10
Once all chocolate is melted, pour over parchment paper.

Step 11
Using a rubber spatula, spread chocolate evenly over baking sheet.

Step 12
Sprinkle with almonds and bacon.
Set baking sheet in refrigerator until chocolate has cooled.

If you’ve got an employee appreciation party or you just want to treat your coworkers to something this coming week, I highly recommend trying any of these recipes. Find the small appliances and bakeware you need to create office recipes at Best Buy, and check out a few of my kitchen favourites below.