Christmas

CIC: Cranberry & Gingerbread Spice

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

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It’s been quite a while since I’ve participated in the Crazy Ingredient Challenge – 4 months to be exact! The problem with squash and melon allergies is that come Fall I have to hide under a rock.

December’s ingredients though are ingredients that I can not only eat but ingredients I even like! They also happen to be ingredients we’ve seen before. Last November we paired Gingerbread Spice with Onion, when I made a very festive onion jam. This July we put Cranberries with Shallots and I made delicious Brussels sprouts.

The combination of two sweet ingredients, cranberries and gingerbread spice, wasn’t as tricky as the two challenges mentioned above. But fun all the same. I was really tempted to make gingerbread cupcakes with a cranberry cream cheese frosting, but we really didn’t need anymore sweets around right now. I thought about going the breakfast route, with cranberry syrup and gingerbread waffles. But this is a crazy ingredient challenge and I already have gingerbread waffles on the blog!

Then, thanks to my wonderful neighbors, I got the idea to do applesauce. Last week we were hit with a stomach bug and my neighbors put a little care package on our front step – soups, sodas, crackers, and applesauce. Applesauce is now my new go-to snack during the day. (It has replaced raisins, if anyone’s curious.)

This cranberry applesauce would be a great alternative to cranberry sauce on your holiday table. Using gingerbread spice instead of cinnamon gives it more of a festive flair.

Cranberry Applesauce

Ingredients:

  • 3 apples, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 C fresh cranberries
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3/8 C water
  • 1 tsp gingerbread spice

Steps:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to medium low and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mash to desired consistency and allow to cool.

*This recipe is adapted from Martha at http://www.marthastewart.com/326493/cranberry-applesauce*

cranberry apple sauce

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

#BundtBakers: Mint

~ lk529 ~ 25 Comments

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Let the countdown begin! We are ONE WEEK away from Christmas people! To celebrate I have a beautiful bundt for #BundtBakers today. #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. This month’s theme is mint and our happy host is Laura of The Spiced Life.

Because it is only festive, I chose peppermint. The flavor of the popular holiday treat – the candy cane! And to dress it up, I used my fabulous star bundt pan. Who says stars are only fitting for Independence Day?!

This bundt is coming with me tonight to an ornament exchange party. Which means I didn’t bake this beauty until yesterday. That is the latest I’ve ever baked my bundt! As you know, the month I hosted (October’s caramel theme) I was cutting it close thanks to a tactical error in reading calendars. At least this time my “procrastination” had a purpose.

candy cane bundt cakeAnd of course, I can’t bring something to a party without first tasting it myself. So I can tell you that this cake tastes exactly like a candy cane. And because I just had to photograph the inside of this cake, I can confidently take it to the party knowing that it even looks like a candy cane!

Candy Cane Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 C vegetable oil
  • 1 3/4 C sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
  • 3 C flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • red food coloring
  • 3/4 C white chocolate chips
  • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • 3/4 C powdered sugar
  • 2 candy canes, crushed (optional)

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the oil and sugar. Mix in eggs one at a time until incorporated. Mix in both extracts.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Mix in 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat with another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the last of the buttermilk, and ending with the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
  5. Put 2 C of the batter into a separate bowl and color with food coloring.
  6. Pour 1/2 of the white batter into the bundt pan, top with the red batter, and finish with the rest of the white batter.
  7. Bake 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool in bundt pan before removing to a cooling rack.
  8. Make the glaze: In a double boiler, melt white chocolate with heavy cream. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar. Glaze cake. Top cake with crushed candy canes, if desired.

*This recipe is adapted from Anna at http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2013/12/21/peppermint-candy-cane-bundt-cake-recipe/*

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If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. All recipes and photographs can be found on our individual blogs, on our Pinterest board, and the #bundtbakers homepage.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Mint Chocolate Truffle Bundt from Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Creme de menthe butter bundt from Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Double Mint Mountain Bundt Cake from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas

Bundt cake with chocolate glaze and mint frosting from Aisha at La cocina de Aisha

Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake from Rebekah at Making Miracles

Peppermint Cappuccino Cake from Renee at Magnolia Days

Mini Minty Bundt Cakes from Linda at Brunch with Joy

Fudgy Peppermint Bundt from Wendy at A Day in the LIfe on the Farm

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake from Andrea at Adventures In All Things Food

Chocolate bundt cake with peppermint dark chocolate ganache from Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker

Candy Cane Chocolate Bundt Cake from Cassie at Cassie’s Kitchen

Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake from Mara at Box of Stolen Socks

Double Chocolate and Mint Cheesecake Bundt Cake from Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado

Peppermint Mocha Pound Cake Bundt from Tanya at DessertStalking Blog

Peppermint Candy Cane Bundt Cake from Mara at I love Bundt Cakes

Candy Cane Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake from Patricia at Patty’s Cake

Candy Cane Bundt Cake w/a Chocolate Ganache Drizzle from Teri at The Freshman Cook

Peppermint Whipped Cream Pound Cake with Shaved Mint Chocolate from Laura at The Spiced Life

Peppermint Patty Bundt Cake from Julie at Eat, Drink, Be Mighty

Peppermint Candy Bundt from Margaret at Tea and Scones

Mint Tea Mini Bundts from Kelly at Passion Kneaded

Candy Cane Cup Bundt Cake from Lauren at From Gate to Plate

Orange and Mint Bundt bread from Jelena at A Kingdom For a Cake

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SRC: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

~ lk529 ~ 33 Comments

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With the holidays the Secret Recipe Club takes a break the last two Mondays of December and first two Mondays of January. But that didn’t stop 60 of us from partaking in a virtual cookie swap – SRC style. That means we kept to our “secret santa” style assignments but mixed up the groups and limited recipe selection to cookies only! As luck of the draw would have it, I was assigned a blog I’ve already had for a normal SRC reveal day – The More Than Occasional Baker.

During my August post we were busy with just having moved from Florida to Ohio and I followed her tutorial for homemade vanilla extract. And now I get to put it to use! (I mean, I’ve been using it, it’s already half gone!) But I get to use it in one of her recipes!

As can be expected from the more than occasional baker Ros, there were plenty of cookie recipes to pick from. Her Double Chocolate Cookies look addicting and her Leftover Frosting Cookies intriguing. I ultimately decided to go with her Oat and Cranberry Cookies. (I did substitute raisins as that’s what I had in the pantry.)

I had to convert the ingredient list and grew nervous when the mixture I was looking at in my stand mixer resembled granola. I frantically looked back over the recipe and realized I forgot the eggs! I don’t recommend adding eggs last, but luckily the cookies still turned out! I got 3 dozen large cookies from this recipe.

 Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 3/4 C brown sugar
  • 1/3 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 C old fashioned oats
  • 1 C raisins

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter with both sugars. When fluffy, add eggs one at at time until incorporated.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add to wet ingredients in two batches, mixing until combined.
  4. Mix in the oats and raisins.
  5. Spoon dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. (Because of my egg mishap I had to press the dough together with my hands before placing on cookie sheet.) Bake 15 minutes, until golden. Let cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from Ros at http://themorethanoccasionalbaker.blogspot.com/2011/11/oat-and-cranberry-cookie.html *

 Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club Cookie Carnival this month click here: 

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

~ lk529 ~ 13 Comments

Happy Cupcake Day everyone!

Okay, so it’s not REALLY cupcake day.

That’s NEXT Monday.

But 25 other bloggers and I are celebrating a week early.

Coleen of The Redhead Baker set this party up and I’m happy to have found this group. If only for the excuse to make some cupcakes. (Cupcakes I sent to Stuart’s Crossfit gym for their monthly potluck. Eh, they’ve burned enough calories to not feel guilty about eating a cupcake or three, right?)  I put one of these cupcakes in Stuart’s lunch and the first words out of his mouth when he got home were “That cupcake might be the best thing you’ve ever baked!”

I decided to stay with the season we’re still technically in – Fall – and make Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting. This sweet dessert is a play on the beloved sweet potato casserole that honestly might as well be placed at the dessert table during Thanksgiving. As a bonus, if you’re still in that pumpkin craze feel free to swap the sweet potato for pumpkin, I’m sure it’d be equally delicious.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

  • 1/2 C mashed cooked sweet potato
  • 1/2 stick butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 C brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C buttermilk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 C canola oil
  • 1 1/4 C flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients for Frosting:

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 container (7.5 oz) marshmallow cream
  • 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp milk

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 15 cupcake molds with cupcake liners.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat sweet potato, butter, and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Mix in buttermilk, vanilla extract, and canola oil.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add to wet ingredients in two batches, mixing until combined.
  4. Fill cupcake molds with batter. Bake 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Allow cupcakes to rest in mold for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
  5. Make frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter with marshmallow cream until combined. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk.
  6. When cupcakes have cooled, frost with the marshmallow frosting.

*This recipe is modified from Erin at http://www.imperialsugar.com/recipes/desserts/cupcakes/Sweet-Potato-Cupcakes-with-Marshmallow-Frosting*

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Check out all of these other awesome cupcakes:

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes by The Redhead Baker

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes by The Cooking Actress

Vanilla Candy Cane Cupcakes by Noshing With The Nolands

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Nerds Cupcakes by Amy’s Confectionery Adventures

Vegan Midori Melon Cupcakes by NinjaBaker

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes with Candied Butter Pecan Frosting by From Gate to Plate

Dark Chocolate Rum Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream by Lemony Thyme

Gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting by Eva Bakes

Cranberry Apple Cupcakes by The Pajama Chef

Almond Joy Cupcakes by Our Eating Habits

Buttered Rum Cupcakes by Adventures in All Things Food

Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Cone Head Cupcakes with Ice Cream Frosting by The Spiffy Cookie

Candied Buddha’s Hand-Eggnog Cupcakes by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Almond Joy Cupcakes by Food Lust People Love

Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting for 2 by Kate’s Recipe Box

Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Peppermint Patty Cupcakes by Comfortably Domestic

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Biscoff Marshmallow Buttercream by Making Miracles

Chocolate Cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting by {i love} my disorganized life

Lemon Cupcakes by Miss Information

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes by Kosher Kitchen

Peppermint Cream Cookie Cupcakes by Take a Bite out of Boca

Cupcake Christmas Wreath by Lick the Spoon

Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Did you know that your slow cooker can be used for more than just pulled pork, Chinese take-out at home, and tailgating cheese dips? It can also be used to have warm and comforting beverages ready for you after an evening in the cold.

For Thanksgiving we went to Alabama to spend the holiday weekend with my in-laws. On Black Friday we had intended to go walking through a Christmas light display downtown. Because it was a chilly night my mother-in-law whipped up a batch of hot chocolate so we could warm up when we returned.

We never did go check out the lights, though. We got wrapped up in a very competitive game of Harry Potter Uno. (Side note: Can you believe this deck of cards is now over $60!?)

But we did still get to enjoy some home made hot chocolate!

Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 6 C milk
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 C cocoa powder
  • 2/3 C hot water

Steps:

  1. Place condensed milk, heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in slow cooker.
  2. In a large mug or measuring glass, whisk together cocoa powder and hot water. Add to slow cooker.
  3. Cook on LOW 3 hours.

*This recipe is adapted from Melissa at http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/12/14/slow-cooker-hot-cocoa/*

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

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#FoodieExtravaganza: Eggnog

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

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This month’s #FoodieExtravaganza is celebrating Eggnog! The Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient into recipes to share with you. For December, I don’t think our host Alexis of We Like to Learn as We Go could have picked a more perfect ingredient!

I am pretty sensitive to nutmeg, so I’ve never been a huge fan of eggnog. I think though that my increased baking endeavors have helped me get used to it. My mom’s stuffing is a simple bread, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and every year I try it and every year I can’t get past the nutmeg. But this year I enjoyed it! Hooray for growing up.

But back to the eggnog. I have no doubt that the brand of eggnog makes all the difference. For this challenge I bought the generic Target brand and loved it!

These cookies are absolutely divine. They really do melt in your mouth and are better than store bought. I garnished half of the cookies with cinnamon and half with nutmeg. I have some more frosting leftover and plan to make another half batch of cookies to use it up!

Eggnog Cookies

Ingredients for the cookies:

  • 3/4 C room temperature butter
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp rum extract
  • 1/2 C eggnog
  • 2 1/4 C flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Ingredients for the frosting:

  • 1/2 C room temperature butter
  • 1/2 tsp rum  extract
  • 3 tbsp eggnog
  • 3 C powdered sugar

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter with both sugars until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time until combined. Mix in both extracts and eggnog.
  3. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add dry ingredients to the stand mixer in two batches and mix until combined.
  4. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Let cool five minutes on cookie sheets and transfer to cooling rack.
  5. Make frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Mix in rum extract, eggnog, and powdered sugar. If needed, add up to a total of 5 tbsp eggnog. Frost cookies once completely cooled and garnish with sprinkling of nutmeg or cinnamon.

*This recipe is adapted from Jaclyn at http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/11/melt-mouth-eggnog-cookies/*

Eggnog Cookies

Be sure to check out these other festive eggnog recipes:

Gingerbread Eggnog Cookies – A Day in the Life on the Farm
Nutty Nog Caramels – Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Eggnog Rice Pudding – The Joyful Foodie 
Peppermint Eggnog Hot Chocolate – Trial and Eater
Eggnog Chocolate Chip Cake – Fearlessly Creative Mamas
Fruity Eggnog Bread Pudding – Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Chewy Eggnog Cookies – We Like to Learn as We Go
Eggnog Waffles and Syrup – Making Miracles
Eggnog Pound Cake with Eggnog Glaze – Food Lust People Love 
Eggnog Kringel – Passion Kneaded
Banana Chocolate Chip Eggnog Coffee Cake – The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Eggnog Cupcakes – Baking in Pyjamas
No-Bake Eggnog Cookies – Rhubarb and Honey
Eggnog Mexican Flan – Pantry Friendly Cooking
Eggnog Fudge – Mrs. Penguin
Eggnog Creme Brulee – The Freshman Cook
 

Cranberry Coffee Cake

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

I end my series of Thanksgiving leftovers with the perfect holiday breakfast – coffee cake!

I use my go-to coffee cake recipe but add in the flavors of Thanksgiving. My filling is cranberry sauce and the topping features orange and fall spices.

This is my third time making this coffee cake base and I think it’s my best outcome yet! I highly recommend using sour cream over yogurt, and buy the full fat stuff. I think that’s the difference, that or the Kroger brand of sour cream is better than the Publix brand. (Sorry Publix, I still love you and miss shopping where “Shopping is a Pleasure.”)

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients for topping:

  • 3/8 C flour
  • 1/3 C brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon*
  • 1/8 tsp ginger*
  • 1/8 tsp cloves*
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg*
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1/4 C rolled oats

*If you have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/2 tsp instead

Ingredients for cake:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick butter, at room temperature
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 C sour cream
  • 1 C cranberry sauce

Steps:

  1. Make the topping: whisk together the flour, brown sugar, spices, zest, oats and salt. Using your fingers, break the butter into small pieces and combine with the topping. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ square cake pan with foil and grease.
  3. Make the cake: In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In a the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add in the vanilla.
  5. Incorporate a third of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once combined add 1/2 C of sour cream. Add another third of the dry ingredients. Once combined add the last 1/2 C of sour cream. Add in the final third of the dry ingredients.
  6. Assemble the cake: Place half of the cake batter in the prepared cake pan. Evenly distribute the cranberry sauce and top with remaining batter. Top the cake with the topping from step 1.
  7. Bake for 65 minutes, or until a knife comes out cleanly.
  8. Allow cake to cool for 5 minutes and remove the cake from the pan by the foil. Serve your cake with  a cup of coffee!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

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Boo-tini

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

To finish off ghost week I present to you a cocktail. If you’re throwing a party tomorrow add this martini to your bar menu. Or, maybe you want something with a little kick to sip on while you’re handing out candy to the little ghosts and goblins knocking on your door.

Do kids really dress up as ghosts and goblins anymore? These days it’s all about wanting to be their favorite movie character – I challenge you to count the number of Elsas and Olafs. (Hey, this cocktail could easily be redone in the winter as a melted snowman!)

Boo-tini

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts vodka
  • 1 part vanilla simple syrup
  • 1 part cream
  • 2 parts seltzer

Steps:

  1. Combine martini ingredients in a large pitcher and gently stir. Pour into martini glasses. If only making one, 1 part = 1 ounce.

*This recipe is adapted from Janelle at http://www.hgtv.com/entertaining/liquefied-ghost-cocktail-recipe/index.html *

Boo-tini

SRC: Ghost Sugar Cookies

~ lk529 ~ 36 Comments

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Today’s Secret Recipe Club post kicks off a week of ghostly treats in preparation for Halloween. I knew that in my search through my assigned blog, Making Miracles, I knew I would be narrowing down my scope to something that would fit into my plan this year. If you were to look at my secret Pinterest board you’d see that I didn’t do a very good job at tunnel vision.

Making Miracles is Rebekah’s blog about “food, family, and making memories.” Her blog started eight years ago to share her experiences at being a surrogate mother. I couldn’t think of a better gift to give to someone than the gift of a child. For six years Rebekah selflessly gave 4 daughters to parents dreaming of having their own children. Making Miracles was the perfect blog title.

Rebekah’s blog has transformed over the years into a very impressive food blog. With the exception of catching her blog during SRC reveal days, I was introduced to Rebekah through the blog event #10DaysofTailgate where together with 10 other bloggers we ate our way through the end of September cheering on our favorite teams. Let me tell you, it was very tempting not to tell her that I was assigned her blog this month.

If you don’t yet know, in the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day!

So back to my recipe searching.

My secret pinterest board is filled with over 25 recipes from Rebekah’s blog, including her pizza dip from #10DaysofTailgate, her buttermilk soaked parmesan baked pork chops, and chocolate chip cookie souffle. But to fit in with my Halloween week, I narrowed it down to quesadillas (either pizza or sweet potato black bean) or sugar cookies. After finding my ghost shaped cookie cutter, I knew I’d be going the cookie route.

This cookie recipe reminded me of my grandmother’s Roll Out Christmas Cookies. Instead of frosting, I put sprinkles on the cookies before baking them. There are two reasons for doing that: 1) that’s what my Busia did and 2) I don’t like frosting on my cookies. These sugar cookies are not overly sweet and that’s what makes them addicting. Without frosting, they’re also perfect for dunking in your coffee!

I halved Rebekah’s recipe and was nervous the dough didn’t come together perfectly, but after chilling in the fridge before rolling it was perfect! Do not skip the chilling step. If the dough gets too warm it’ll stick to the board and rolling pin all too easily. This means, in between throwing the cookies in the oven, put the dough back in the fridge.

While Rebekah likes thick, chewy cookies I’m the opposite and like thin, flaky cookies. I rolled my cookies to 1/4″ thickness until very lightly golden on the edges. This half recipe yielded approximately 4 dozen cookies. The amount you get will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutter(s) and your desired cookie thickness.

Ghost Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • sprinkles (optional)

Steps:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Add the flour to the butter in 3 batches.
  4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in fridge at least one hour.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  6. Roll dough out on a floured surface. Cut out cookies and place an an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle cookies with sprinkle, if desired. Bake 7 minutes.
  7. Cool cookies on a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from Rebekah at http://rebekahrose.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-best-rolled-sugar-cookies.html?m=1 *

Ghost Sugar Cookies

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

Ginger Molasses Cookies

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

There are a lot of theories about foods to induce labor and while I don’t believe in any of them I’ve still used them as a nice excuse to indulge in hot wings.

And cookies.

A google search led me to a recipe for “labor inducing cookies” which are really gingersnaps with some cayenne. Except that I forgot to add the cayenne. I mean, really!? But, now I have a post perfect for National Gingersnap Day.

Quick question: Why is gingersnap day in July? Are we trying to go with the “Christmas in July” feel? The batter smelled like Thanksgiving to me!

These cookies are rich with molasses and spicy with ginger. (If you want to try to put someone into labor add the 1/2 tsp of cayenne I forgot about.)

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/2 C sugar, plus extra for rolling cookies
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1/3 C molasses
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 1/2 C flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter and sugars. When combined add the molasses. Add the egg whites.
  3. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
  4. Add dry ingredients to the butter and molasses mixture in two installments.
  5. Roll dough into 1″ balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.justmommies.com/pregnancy/labor-and-childbirth/labor-inducing-cookie-recipe*

Ginger Molasses Cookies

P.S. – They didn’t work. Neither did spicy foods. Or pineapple.