"For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home."
~W.J. Ronald Tucker
Happy Holidays! I hope you all are having a great time preparing and celebrating the holidays no matter which one you celebrate.
I want to apologize for my absence from this blog. I appreciate your support and for reading, even though I don't always update as much as I'd like. December 11 was my birthday and my family came to visit to help me celebrate, we had a great time. After their departure I haven't been feeling well. I haven't done my usual making candy and baking that I usually do this time of year. Ah, such is life. Doesn't always go as planned.
Also I had that thing happen with my email account where it looked like I sent out spam. Sorry if I sent you spam. I promise it wasn't me, just a bot/virus thing that I think I've fixed now.
If you aren't finished with your holiday baking or edible gift making I have lots of ideas in the sidebar that I've also included below.
Homemade Food Gifts
Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Savory Rosemary Shortbread
Savory Aged Cheddar Shortbread
White Walnut Fudge
Salted Caramels
Wine Jelly
Chocolate Almond Butter Toffee
Street Fair Cinnamon Almonds
Caramel Corn Clusters
Pepper Jelly
Homemade Blackberry Liqueur
Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade
I wanted to share this recipe for my favorite ginger cookies. I love them and I think you will too. they come from a number of trials to find the perfect ginger cookie. The writing below is from a post I made on another blog this time last year.
If there could be a perfect ginger cookie, I'm convinced these chewy morsels could be it. What sets this recipe apart from all others is that it contains 3 types of ginger. This provides a layering of multidimensional ginger flavor. And the crystallized ginger really adds a spicy element. If you'd like to kick the spiciness up a bit, then add a pinch of cayenne pepper. I did to one batch and I loved it. It may not be for everyone, but it adds a special spicy dimension that you can't really put your finger on. If you're skeptical, make the dough, and add a small pinch to only a portion of the dough so you can try it.
Triple Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups (200 g,) all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 inch knob fresh ginger, (or 2-3 Tablespoons) peeled and grated*
3/4 -1 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup (packed) (150 g.) brown sugar
1/2 cup (113 g.) vegetable shortening room temperature, or substitute more butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) (56 g.) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup mild flavored (light) molasses
raw turbinado sugar, or granulated sugar for rolling
Directions
Combine first 7 ingredients, (8 if using the cayenne) in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Mix in crystallized ginger. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, shortening and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and mix just until blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 4. Cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, or lightly butter them. Spoon sugar in thick layer onto small plate. Using wet hands, form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Carefully transfer to racks and cool. (Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature.)
*The easiest way to grate fresh ginger is to freeze it first, then peel, then grate it with a microplane or a box grater using the fine holes.
