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And here's the other gingerbread recipe. I really think the fresh ginger adds something to them! If you don't have fresh ginger, you can always substitute an additional 1/2 tsp. ground ginger for the 2 tsp. of fresh ginger called for in this recipe.
**Photos coming later on after I have a chance to decorate them!**
I usually get anywhere from 30-45 cookies from this recipe; depending on which cutters I use (I have a small village worth of gingerbread men cutters!)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt3/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar (I always use light brown sugar; since these also use molasses I don't suppose it matters if you use dark or light sugar)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, warm1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 egg
Method:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. In a large bowl (I used my KA mixer), stir together the brown sugar, butter, molasses, fresh ginger, and egg until well-blended. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Form dough into 2 flat rounds. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Lightly sprinkle rolling surface with flour. Roll one dough round to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes. Remove and reserve dough scraps from around each cookie - you can re-use them! Place cookies at least 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 7-9 minutes or until cookies just begin to colour at the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough and dough scraps. Cookies can be decorated with frosting, nuts, candies, etc. once they are cooled.
Great Gingerbread Icing Ideas:*1 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1-2 tbsp. water.
*1 cup powdered sugar combined with 1-2 tbsp. water plus 1/4 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger.
*2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 tbsp. milk.
*One I haven't tried but it sounds great - mix some melted white chocolate with a little lemon extract. I made a chocolate topping for Grand Marnier cupcakes which used 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped and 1/2 tsp. vegetable shortening. For gingerbread, I'd use 3 oz. white chocolate chopped, 1/2 tsp. veg. shortening, and 1/4-1/2 tsp. lemon extract. Melt the chocolate and shortening in a double-boiler. Place the melted chocolate mix in a large Zip-Lock bag and mix in the extract by squishing the bag. Snip a corner off the bag and use this to decorate the cookies. **You may need to play around with the extract amount - I've never tried this so I honestly wouldn't know how much to use! That amount is just a guess :)
Reference:
This recipe came from the December 2001/January 2002 issue of Cooking Pleasures Magazine. The name of the original recipe was "Golden Gingerbread People." This is also where I got the idea to add fresh ginger to the basic frosting. When I tried that the first time I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! :)
Tips for Rolled Cookies
I know how much of a pest rolled cookies can be so here's a couple tips to help make your life a little easier :)
*Chill the dough for an adequate amount of time. For these sugar cookies, I let mine chill for at least 4 hours. Patience is definitely a virtue when making rolled cookies!
*Keep dough that you are not rolling/cutting in the fridge.
*Flour your work surface, rolling pin, and cutters. You can always gently dust off extra flour using a pastry brush - especially important with darker cookies like gingerbread.
*Work with small pieces of dough at a time.
*Try rolling the dough between two sheets of either wax or parchment paper. You will still need a little flour on the paper but it will prevent the dough from sticking to your counter-tops, rolling pin, or cutting board.
*Remember, they are so worth it when they're all done and decorated! :)
I actually have 2 gingerbread cookie recipes that I like - this is the one which does not require fresh ginger.
**Photos coming later after I decorate them!**
This will make a LOT of dough - enough for 30 or so large cookies. You can easily halve the recipe if needed.
Ingredients:
5 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
16 tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup molasses
Method:
1. Combine the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; stir well to mix.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until well mixed (about 1 minute). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition. Scrape down the bowl and beater.
**There is no law saying you have to use a stand mixer for this! If you don't have one you can always make these by hand. Goodness knows people have been making cookies since long before KA mixers were invented (I do have to say, mine makes my life so much easier, though!!**
3. Lower the mixer speed and beat in about half the flour mixture. Beat in all the molasses, then scrape the bowl and beater. Add the remaining flour mixture, about a cup at a time, and beat after each addition until it has all been absorbed.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and give the dough a final mixing with a large rubber spatula. Scrape half the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press it to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Wrap the dough securely and repeat with the remaining dough. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days (I always let mine chill overnight).
5. When you are ready to bake the cookies, prepare the cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Unwrap one of the pieces of dough and cut it in half. Re-wrap the dough you are not using and return it to the fridge!
7. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut the cookies. As they are cut, place them on the prepared pans about an inch apart in all directions. Repeat with the remaining dough. Save, press together, and re-roll the dough scraps.
8. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes (I only give mine 7-9 since my oven is a bit funny), or until they become dull and dry-looking and feel slightly firm when pressed with a fingertip. Slide the papers onto racks to cool. After the cookies have cooled they can be decorated with icing, candies, nuts, whatever you like.
9. Store cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
Great Gingerbread Icing Ideas:
*1 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1-2 tbsp. water.
*1 cup powdered sugar combined with 1-2 tbsp. water plus 1/4 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger.
*2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 tbsp. milk.
*One I haven't tried but it sounds great - mix some melted white chocolate with a little lemon extract. I made a chocolate topping for Grand Marnier cupcakes which used 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped and 1/2 tsp. vegetable shortening. For gingerbread, I'd use 3 oz. white chocolate chopped, 1/2 tsp. veg. shortening, and 1/4-1/2 tsp. lemon extract. Melt the chocolate and shortening in a double-boiler. Place the melted chocolate mix in a large Zip-Lock bag and mix in the extract by squishing the bag. Snip a corner off the bag and use this to decorate the cookies. **You may need to play around with the extract amount - I've never tried this so I honestly wouldn't know how much to use! That amount is just a guess :)
Reference:
This is the "Gingerbread People" recipe from Nick Malgieri's "Cookies Unlimited."
Tips for Rolled Cookies
I know how much of a pest rolled cookies can be so here's a couple tips to help make your life a little easier :)
*Chill the dough for an adequate amount of time. For these sugar cookies, I let mine chill for at least 4 hours. Patience is definitely a virtue when making rolled cookies!
*Keep dough that you are not rolling/cutting in the fridge.
*Flour your work surface, rolling pin, and cutters. You can always gently dust off extra flour using a pastry brush.
*Work with small pieces of dough at a time.
*Try rolling the dough between two sheets of either wax or parchment paper. You will still need a little flour on the paper but it will prevent the dough from sticking to your counter-tops, rolling pin, or cutting board.
*Remember, they are so worth it when they're all done and decorated! :)
For these cookies, I used the recipe from Annie's Eats. Since I really didn't change any of the ingredients, I'll just put a link to her post. The only thing I did change was to decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees but that's just because I have a pretty ancient oven and it seems to do best at 350! :)
Here's the link: Christmas Cookies.
Photos coming later on after I decorate them all tonight!
Frosting:
I use a very basic frosting for sugar cookies.
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract (you could also use almond extract or do 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. almond)
2 tbsp. milk
Food colouring
Mix sugar and vanilla extract. Add milk gradually while mixing until icing is a good, slightly stiff, consistency for decorating.
Tips for Rolled Cookies
I know how much of a pest rolled cookies can be so here's a couple tips to help make your life a little easier :)
*Chill the dough for an adequate amount of time. For these sugar cookies, I let mine chill for at least 4 hours. Patience is definitely a virtue when making rolled cookies!
*Keep dough that you are not rolling/cutting in the fridge.
*Flour your work surface, rolling pin, and cutters. You can always gently dust off extra flour using a pastry brush.
*Work with small pieces of dough at a time.
*Try rolling the dough between two sheets of either wax or parchment paper. You will still need a little flour on the paper but it will prevent the dough from sticking to your counter-tops, rolling pin, or cutting board.
*Remember, they are so worth it when they're all done and decorated! :)
Here's a quick tip I picked up somewhere (sorry, forgot the source!) I just thought about it today as I was cleaning some strawberries for one of my Platinum Chef Challenge recipes (coming to a blog near you, this one!, soon!!) :)
To preserve as much flavour as possible in strawberries, do not rinse them under running water. Since strawberries are very porous, they will absorb all that water and lose some of their fruity goodness. You don't want watery strawberries, right?! :) Instead, dampen a paper towel and use it to gently clean each berry. You will have clean fruit with plenty of flavour!
Here's an extra hint - if you only buy a few organically-grown things, make strawberries (and other fresh berries) one of them! The porous nature of the berries makes them not only absorb water when rinsing them, but also absorb the chemicals and pesticides sprayed on non-organically grown produce.
Hope this helps you enjoy strawberry season!
Just got the latest issue of Cooking Light (I love that magazine!) and there is this whole section on must-have items! I've been planning on adding this to my blog since I started it but just haven't really had the motivation to get started. I'll put down what CL has for each category then I'll also add my own ideas. Hopefully this will help new cooks as well as seasoned veterans looking for new ideas! :)
Hurray for Cooking Light!
Frequently used cooking staples:
*Oils - olive and canola are the ones you will probably use most. These two are also healthier than things like peanut oil. You will also want cooking spray (Pam - they even have an organic version, now, and one for grilling!), and butter (if you bake, you will want to keep unsalted butter on hand. The regular, salted, stuff if usually called for in savoury recipes).
*Vinegars - I always keep balsamic (I make salad dressings with it on an almost daily basis), white wine, and red wine. In addition, I have just regular old cheap white vinegar (I use it to clean my house and will sub it for white wine vinegar in a pinch!) Vinegar can also be a handy lemon juice substitute in sauces.
*Fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth. I like to get the organic/free range broth. I don't really think it's fat-free, but it is definitely lower-sodium which is the bigger concern in my house.
*Canned tomatoes and beans - you can get the pre-flavoured tomatoes; however, I prefer to just get the plain diced ones. I can then add my own blends of herbs to them depending on whether I'm making a soup, spaghetti sauce, or enchiladas.
*Sauces - soy (lower-sodium), Worcestershire, BBQ (I make my own but it's good to have a bottle if you're in a hurry!), Tabasco or a similar hot sauce.
*Dried pasta and rice. I also like to keep some couscous on hand to change it up a bit.
*Panko - Japanese bread crumbs. I find them so much easier to work with than the breadcrumbs I used to make from a slice of bread! The panko doesn't fall of my food the second I try to flip it! lol
*Wine (red and white) and sherry.
*Spices and herbs - I will come back and add more to this. For now, here are my most used: oregano, cumin, basil, dill, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder/garlic salt (I prefer to just use a clove of garlic, but this is good in a hurry!), thyme, rosemary, parsley flakes, lemon-pepper seasoning, Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning (I mix it into burgers for my hubby), Grill Mates Chicken Rub, chili powder.
*For baking - vanilla extract (I like the pure, alcohol-free stuff), ground ginger, ground cinnamon, honey.
*Flour - you can probably get away with just buying all-purpose and always having a stash of that on-hand. See the list of substitutions on this blog to see how you can use this in place of cake flour.
*Sugar - granulated cane sugar is a must. If you bake, you will also want light and dark brown sugar (also handy if you do a lot of BBQ!) and powdered/confectioners' sugar.
Aw, my first post of the new month! Happy June everyone... there is only a week of school left (I'm a teacher) so I'm pretty excited! I do have to work until the middle of the month just finishing up paperwork (gotta love that!) and writing up my students' learning record reports but then I'm off until August when I got back limited hours (just for staff development, contacting new students, etc). I have tons of plans for summer projects which include lots of new recipes and lots of blogging! Glad I have a laptop so I can blog by the pool ;)
So, I'm planning on making ice cream this weekend - I've had this KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment for a couple months and I have yet to use it. I was looking through the recipes and decided to be boring and start with French vanilla (so unlike me to be boring with food, but I know my husband will eat it... lol) The recipe calls for, yikes, 8 egg yolks. I have this great lemon-blueberry meringue pie recipe that I'd also like to try but not for a couple weeks. So, I was wondering if I could freeze the egg whites from these eight eggs and use part of that for the meringue. Turns out yes you can freeze the egg whites (yippee!). Here's the procedure which I found by doing an Ask.com search.
**If you need individual whites (maybe only 1 or 2):
You can freeze them in an ice-cube tray (genius!) so they are frozen individually and don't get all stuck together. They usually freeze overnight. After they are frozen, pop them out of the ice-cube tray and into a freezer-weight zipper bag. Label them with the date and how many whites are in each bag. Keep them in the freezer until ready to use.
**If you need multiple whites (like 6 for a recipe):
Just freeze the necessary number of whites in a container (freezer safe), then pop them out of the container when they are frozen (again, overnight should do it). You could even just freeze as many as you need in the ice-cube tray. You can then either wrap the block in plastic wrap then foil and store them in a freezer-safe container (Rubbermaid or a large zipper baggie). Write the date on the container as well as the number of whites.
The tip I found said you can save them in the freezer for up to 6 months. However; be sure to store long-term frozen goods in the coldest part of the freezer (the back and towards the bottom). I'm not sure I'd ever try to keep them for 6 months, but if you're going to be using them in a couple weeks or a month, I think this is a great option. Much better than wasting food.
To defrost the eggs, just remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight, just like you would with meats.
