Coming back!

Well, I hope. Annie's got her hands full with 2 kids and another on the way. Becky and I are teachers with busy lives who are beat at the end of a teaching day and Brittany is trying to get graduated. So, we've been busy. I can't promise I'll be consistent, but I feel pretty lame that I bake as much as I do and still don't share, at least not on the blog. For all that I bake, I definitely do share the finished product!
Anyway, in celebration of Valentine's Day, I made a little something. King Arthur Flour's Chocolate Linzer Cookies were really easy to make and tasty, especially the uncooked dough.
The recipe is long, so HERE is the link.
Just make sure the dough REALLY is refrigerated well, flour your surface VERY well, and if you don't have a linzer cutter, you could always do a heart shaped cookie cutter and use a smaller heart to cut out the middle. Be creative...any shape would work! Oh, and I left out the espresso powder. That's not a standard pantry item in my kitchen!

Gingerbread Mummies

I've been baking, just not posting...busy I guess. I have a few things saved up though. These little treats are from my mom's gingerbread cookie recipe. I love this recipe because it is soft and I really love a soft gingerbread cookie and the spices are the perfect combination. You can adjust the amount of ginger to how spicy you want them. And the secret ingredient is vinegar. Seems a little unusual, but it makes them tangy.

I usually decorate these like little gingerbread men all decked out for the holidays, but I haven't baked anything "Halloweenish" yet and so I thought the mummy look was appropriate and also there is no need for a steady hand. I used white chocolate to frost them with which resulted in a super rich treat, needless to say my husband ate about 5 at once and then consumed a 1/2 gallon of milk. You could really use any roll out cookie dough and just decorate them like mummies. Chocolate or sugar cookie would be good too. Even a powdered sugar glaze instead of the white chocolate would make a great combination. I'm all about taking an idea and running with it...so have fun! But you really should try this cookie recipe because it is a winner and a craving of mine this time of year. Forewarning: This is a HUGE batch of cookies. I cut it in half when I made it but the 1 egg is tricky. I just scrambled it a little and poured about 1/2 of it into the batter.

Rolled Gingerbread Cookies

1 c butter

1 c sugar

1 egg

1 c molasses

2 Tbls vinegar

5 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

White chocolate chips and rasins for decorating.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, molasses, and vinegar. Sift in dry ingredients and mix together well. Chill for 2-3 hours. (I cheated and got away with 1 hour. You just want the dough to hold together as you roll it and they hold their shape better when the dough is cold.)

Roll dough into 1/4" thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on parchment lined baking sheets for 5-6 minutes.

For crisper cookies, roll dough to 1/8" thick and bake until more browned on the edges.

Let cool. Melt white chocolate chips in double boiler or microwave. Put melted chocolate into a plastic baggie with the corner clipped off and drizzle white chocolate onto the cookies. Cut raisins in little pieces and use for eyes.

Sugar Cookies on a Stick

In order for sugar cookies to stay on a cookie stick, it has to be a more dense cookie. I have made cookies on sticks every Easter for the past 3 or 4 years and I have used a different recipe every year. This time I found a really good one that I will use from now on. The cookie has a great buttery flavor, is dense enough to hold up on a stick and still soft.

Sugar Cookies for Sticks
3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened
1 c sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
dash of almond extract (if you have it-I didn't)

Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg, salt, and both extracts.
Slowly add the flour mixture (1 c at a time) and stir until incorporated.
Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to approximately 5/8" thick. Cut the cookies into shapes and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet; poke a cookie stick into the cookies. (I do it slowly and twist it in)
Bake the cookies for 8-10 min or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 min. and then place them on a rack to cool. Do not stand the cookies up until they are completely cooled and the center has set or it may fall off.

These also made cute treats for the Young Women with the extra dough.