Ginger, Minus the Men

Every year, a week or so before Christmas, my boss brings in containers upon containers of Christmas cookies. Butter cookies, chocolate chip, sugar ... you name it, she bakes it. My favorite of her cookies, though, are gingerbread men. So much so, that last year I decided to try my hand at them.

And here's what I discovered: Gingerbread men are a hard cookie to bake. (Maybe not as hard a butter horns, but that's a separate story.)

Getting the right texture and flavor is no small task. And the dough isn't the easiest to work with, either. It was a bit disappointing that I wasn't able to master this cookie. And unfortunately I was short on time and ingredients to keep trying until I got it right. I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to do without that delectable ginger cookies unless someone else made them for me.

And then I found the recipe below. I had completely forgotten I cut it out of a magazine at the end of the holiday season last year. I tucked it away in a recipe box filled with holiday recipes, and found it when trying to decide which cookies to bake this year. It seemed simple enough, so I decided to give it a whirl.

And I found my ginger cookie!

First off, they're easy to make. And if you have small children this is a cookie they can easily help with. (We love quality time in the kitchen in our house.) The flavor is outstanding. Ginger and spice, but without being overwhelming. And finally, the texture. Crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. Just a perfect holiday cookie.

Sure, they're not in the shape of men, but it's a small sacrifice to enjoy a wonderful ginger cookie that will warm you up not just during the holidays, but all winter long.

Ginger Crinkles
Recipe from a magazine
Makes 6 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, molasses, and ginger. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be soft). Refrigerate until firm enough to handle, about 1 hour.
3. Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll half the dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 rounded teaspoon each) and then roll in the sugar to coat. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
4. Bake, rotating the position of the pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and set, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Let cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Chocolate Cookie Heaven

I love to bake. And I love to share what I bake with others. So for the holidays I give my son's teachers homemade cookies along with a gift card. And every year I pour over all of my recipes, deciding what to make.

This year I was met with a particular challenge: Everything needed to be ready for Friday, and I had a particularly busy week at work, which, unfortunately, was going to cut into my baking time. So I needed delicious and simple. No small feat.

In a Christmas recipe box I found a Betty Crocker recipe for "Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies." I read the recipe and it was easy enough, but I know not everyone is a fan of candy canes. (Crazy, but true.) So I decided to take inspiration from my Mint Chocolate Oreos and use mint Hersey kisses for this recipe, so the cookies would still have that mint flavor, but without the candy canes.

Success! These cookies are soft and chewy on the side. If you like texture, you might want to use candy canes. Crushed on top of these cookies, they'll add a crunchy contrast. But if you like mint without the canes, then this is the way to go.

Mint-Chocolate Chocolate Cookies
Recipe modified from Betty Crocker
Makes about 32 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box devil's food cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 bag Hershey's Mint Kisses

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir cake mix, oil, vanilla, and eggs until soft dough forms. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
2. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cook 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. Unwrap 3/4 of Hershey's kisses and melt in a double-boiler. Stir as chocolate melts until mixture is smooth. Spread chocolate over cookies.

Sugar Cookie Makeover

I'm a lucky mom. My son loves to bake and cook. With me. Whenever I start to get to work in the kitchen he comes running in and asks, "Mommy, do you need your little sous chef?"

(It's okay. You can sigh and say "Awww." I do every time.)

So when the sign-up sheet for my son's preschool Thanksgiving party went up, I immediately knew what I wanted to bring in: cookies. So my son could help me bake. And I knew exactly which cookies I wanted to make, too.

Now, many parents would get store-bought cookies or maybe the break-and-bake kind. In fact, I had the break-and-bake kind in my freezer. Trouble is, there are kids in his class with peanut allergies, and while those cookies may not have nuts, many of them are made in factories where there are peanuts. But that's okay, because I knew how to make sure my cookies were nut-free.

Pumpkin spice sugar cookies.

I had made these with my son last year, during the Halloween snowstorm, while listening to Christmas carols. A delightful mix of holidays and traditions. And these cookies were no less delightful. Sweet with a hint of spice. A wonderful holiday treat.

So if you're looking for a Thanksgiving treat, an alternative to the traditional pies, give these cookies a try.

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Recipe from Food.com

Ingredients:

Cookies:
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
  Icing:
• 1 cup powedered sugar
• 4 to 5 teaspoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 drops red food coloring
• 3 drops yellow food coloring

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, add flour and baking soda; stir gently to mix; set aside.
2. In another mixing bowl, blend butter and powdered sugar together.
3. Add in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and egg; stir to combine.
4. Mix in the flour mixture; blend well.
5. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
6. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface; cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
7. Bake in a 350 degree oven on ungreased cookie sheets for about 8 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
8. Once cookies are cool, mix icing ingredients. Ice cookies and let set on a wire rack before storing.

Banana? Versatile? Who Knew?

Like earlier this month, I found myself with a few overripe bananas. Last time my son and I made Banana-Strawberry Muffins.

I never seem to have much luck with banana bread, and I didn't want to make muffins again. A quick Google search turned up this recipe for banana cookies. And determining I had all the ingredients on hand, my son and I set about making these cookies.

These cookies were everything they were promised to be and more. The aroma filled the house with a wonderful, warm scent, courtesy of the ground cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Golden brown out the outside, they have cake-like texture on the inside, something you just can't get from cookies bought at the supermarket. And it's that cake-like texture that made me think the cookies would be great for whoopie or moon pies (or whatever you call them).

The original recipe says it makes 30 cookies. It also says to drop dollops of the dough on your cookie sheet. Now, I don't know what they consider a dollop, but I used my 1" ice cream scoop, and I got 4 dozen cookies.

But you know what they say: The more the merrier!

Banana Cookies

Recipe from Simply Recipes
Makes 30 - 48 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large bananas)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace (I used nutmeg)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup pecans, or walnuts, or chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
2. In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.
3. Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and shift into butter and banana mixture, and mix until just combined.
4. Fold into the batter the nuts and/or chocolate chips if using. Drop dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown.
5. Let cool on wire racks.

Snack Time!

We love to snack in my house, so it's important to have something available to nibble on as we go about our day. In an effort to be a tad more healthy, I'm trying to make those snacks, instead of purchasing pre-packaged ones from the supermarket.

We had a great first effort with the Strawberry Oatmeal Bars I made with my son last month. They were perfect for nibbling during the day or a quick "cut-and-go," and I was looking for something similar to make for this week.

So I pulled out my folder, the one filled with recipes torn from magazines or printed from the Internet, and I found this recipe from the January/February 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine: Oatmeal-Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Score!

My son and I made these yesterday afternoon, and despite lots of nagging to lick the spoon, we had a good time. Again, this was another recipe that was easy to make with him. Like with the Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, he measured and stirred the dry ingredients, feeling like he really was "making" the cookies. They filled the house with a wonderful scent as they baked, and we tasted them warm, while the chocolate chips were still gooey. Heaven!

Oatmeal-Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from the Food Network Magazine
Active: 35 minutes | Total: 1 hour
Makes: about 32 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 cup flaxseed, finely ground in a spice grinder, or pre-ground flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, oats, flaxseed, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
3. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop heating tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes from the Chef:

• I used a 1" ice cream scoop and this recipe made closer to 4 dozen cookies than the 32 stated above. The dough does spread, though, so leaving 2 inches between cookies is important.
• I used my mini cuisinart to grind the flaxseeds, since I don't have a spice grinder.
• Don't be afraid to add the flaxseeds. They added a nutty flavor to the cookies. The whole family loved them.

Who's That Kid with the Oreo Cookie?

I still remember every word to that jingle. There was even hand motions, a clap sequence of sorts, that went along with it. I remember us girls singing and clapping on the playground during recess. Ah ... memories.

Needless to say, Oreo has set up permanent shop in my life, and not just next to a tall glass of milk. It's a classic cookie, like chocolate chip, that never goes out of style or wears out its welcome. It's reinvented itself over the years -- 100 years, to be exact -- too. There's regular, double-stuffed, and vanilla. There are football shaped ones, which I buy for the first Giants game of the season. And the color of the filling will even change for the holidays.

But one thing that you don't see on the shelves of your supermarket is chocolate-covered Oreos.

A friend of my mom's had some. And one way or another, my sister ended up trying them. And she fell in love. Occasionally these delectable treats would find their way from my mom's friend to my sister, but it was a waiting game. She never knew when they would reappear. So my sister decided to take the bull by the horns, and asked me if we could make our own chocolate-covered Oreos during a Saturday visit in February.

Now I had done a little bit of research before this venture. Some used semi-sweet chocolate; some use milk chocolate. But all the experiences I read about had used regular Oreos and molds to make them. But my sister and I decided to skip the molds and just drop the Oreos -- the double-stuffed Oreos -- directly into the double boiler.

So that's exactly what we did. And here's what we learned:

1. When using double-stuffed Oreos, one 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips is not enough. You need at least a bag and a half.
   
2. The cookies dipped in milk chocolate are too sweet. We preferred the ones dipped in semi-sweet chocolate.
   
3. While they look pretty with sprinkles on them, it was incredibly messy. Sprinkles all over.
   
4. Mint Hershey Kisses were our savior.

We quickly learned that either because we were using the dipping method, double-stuffed Oreos, or both, we didn't have enough chocolate to cover all of the cookies. What were we to do?

"How about melting the Hershey Kisses?" my husband suggested, handing me the candy dish with the mint Kisses leftover from the holidays.

Quickly my sister, husband, son, and I began unwrapping the candies and dumping them into the double boiler. We had just enough to cover the remaining cookies.

After a flash freeze we were ready to taste the cookies. And while we had been looking forward to trying the plain chocolate-covered ones, we all opted to try one that had been dipped in mint chocolate instead.

Score!

These were an unbelievable hit, and by far my favorite. They were special too. They had the flavor reminiscent of the Girl Scouts Thin Mint cookies, but were better because of the added bonus of the Oreo filling. Our Oreo adventure took an unexpected turn that day.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and we definitely stumbled upon a surprising and wonderful treat that fateful Saturday in February.