Foodie Friday: Dancing Deer Cookie Factory Tour

Last week local Boston business Dancing Deer Baking Co. invited me for a behind-the-scenes tour of its cookie and brownie factory. Having been the recipient of a crazy delicious Dancing Deer gift basket last month, there was no way I was missing this press opp. I’ve eaten more than my fair share of Dancing Deer treats recently, sent Dancing Deer gifts to friends and family over the past couple of years, and seen their packages at Whole Foods, but other than that I didn’t know much about the company.

Dancing Deer started 20 years ago as a bakery that provided cakes to cafes and restaurants, quickly added packaged consumer goods, then expanded into a retail shop when neighbors demanded taste after taste. Three years in, Dancing Deer won a major industry award for its Molasses Clove Cookie. As a chocolate devotee, who doesn’t believe non-chocolate calories have any value, I can tell you it is delicious; perfect with a cup of tea.Dancing Deer cookies and brownies are scratch made in relatively small batches in an industrial park in Boston. All of the products are certified kosher, some of them are gluten-free; none of them are vegan.

A huge amount of its business is conducted this time of year, when they increase the labor force hugely, with workers returning year after year, and often coming on full-time when spots open. Dancing Deer is committed to environmentally-friendly practices as well as philanthropy, with its Sweet Home Project initiative, which helps homeless families move into stable lives and homes of their own by providing funding and support for low-income single parents to complete their college education and enter family sustaining careers.

Let’s take the behind-the-scenes factory tour. You can easily order cookies and brownies online—they are perfect presents for birthdays, holidays, sympathy, congratulations, pretty much anything, and come in adorable recycled cardboard boxes or natural baskets. Dancing Deer is offering StyleCarrot readers an exclusive 30% discount sitewide from today through Nov. 15, 2014 with promo code CARROT.

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S H O P  for C O O K I E S 

Shop Dancing Deer here.
Use promo code CARROTS for 30 percent off!

Some favorites:

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Sweet Home for the Holidays Gift, $44.99

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Large Variety Cookie Sampler, $49.99

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Premium Christmas Bakery Gift, $44.99

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Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Brownie Gift Box, $28.99

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Molasses Clove Cookie Gift Box, $23.99

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Chocolate Espresso Birthday Cake Party Kit, $29.99

more Dancing Deer Products >

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Foodie Friday: Kid-Friendly Taco Salad

Both of my sons are pretty proficient in the kitchen. One loves to concoct things, like a mad scientist. He’s recently been experimenting with fruit infused water. I found a glass on the counter the other day with a vanilla flavored sparkling water he mixed, complete with recipe card tucked underneath. If you catch him on a good day, he might think it’s fun to set the table, with two forks and unneeded spoons, homemade recipe cards, and candles. Fire!

The other one, true to form, is much more practical. He can follow a recipe on the box (he excels at boxed cake mix and Rice-a-Roni), which is useful, because the kid is always hungry. We’ve recently started to teach him some more meal-like recipes too, like homemade chicken soup and tacos. Since he can be easily overwhelmed, we started out by giving him sous chef jobs. So far so good.

This is one of his favorite meals—taco salad. It’s a good dish to do together, because while I fry up the (organic, no antibiotic, grass-fed, etc. etc.) ground beef (he’s so not up to raw meat yet; thinks it’s gross), to which I add taco seasonings, he can get started on the washing and cutting of lettuce, tomatoes, and scallions, and microwave a handful of frozen corn. I cut the avocado, since that’s a bit trickier (not sure there’s any in this photo, we must have been out), sprinkle on the grated cheese, and we’re good to go. Takes a little bit of time due to the frying and chopping, but not too bad, but it’s healthy and filling for a 12-year-old.

Taco Salad Prepared With My 12 Year Old Son

T A C O   S A L A

Cooking, photo & styling by Marni Elyse Katz for StyleCarrot.

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