Fabulous Finds Friday-Cookies!!

I like having the opportunity to share with you great finds on Fridays.  This week I am sharing my new favorite cookie recipe.  YUM! I found the recipe on Pinterest, of course.  I have made them only twice, because I eat too many of them.  Last week I made a double batch, thinking I could freeze some, but they are so good we ate them before I could freeze any.  The recipe is from Sally's Baking Addiction, and I have the link to the recipe here. I like how she goes through and explains why she uses the ingredients she does, how they work to make super soft cookies.  She even adds ideas for variations at the end.  The only change I make is the size.  She forms the chilled dough into balls about 3 tablespoons in size.  I make mine a bit smaller, using about 2 tablespoons of dough. I cooked them the same amount of time as she cooks the larger balls, since that is what is best in my oven. The cookies are great, and I look forward to using this recipe again.  Right now, I think I will see if there is a cookie left that I can eat.

~Gayle

Thoughts on Christmas

I have been thinking a lot about Christmas lately.  Who hasn’t?  While I am not “old” yet, I have been around for a lot of Christmases.  There are a lot of things which have changed over the years, and a lot of other things which are the same.  One thing that hasn’t changed over the many Christmases of my life time is the interest in special treats for the holiday.  My mom was one who loved to make holiday treats.  She made holiday breads, candies, cookies, and even a sweet roll Christmas wreath.  I was usually her helper, being the only daughter, and have fond memories of making treats with Mom.  Many of the treats were gifts for the neighbors.  She would even leave a loaf of sweet bread on the mailbox for the mailman and one on our garbage can at the curb for the garbage man.  I don’t make many of those treats any more, but one of my daughters really likes the cookies we used to make with a cookie press (which I now own) and my other 2 daughters love the peanut butter fudge.  Occasionally we make some of the treats that my mom did, and we always think of my mom when we do. Even my nieces and nephews think of Grandma when they make the family’s traditional treats.

Shopping for gifts or making gifts is still the norm for Christmas, even though malls were not around when I was younger.  I would have enjoyed going to the mall just to see the decorations then, now I try at all costs to avoid the mall at Christmas time.

Christmas lights are the same and yet different now.  I used to love when we would pile into the car (without seatbelts) to drive around the wealthier parts of town to see the decorated houses.  I loved one house that always looked like a castle from a distance.  Now, we go to a place that has light displays, where we pay to drive around slowly and let the grandkids ohhh and ahhh over the lighted reindeer jumping over the road and a large Santa waving at us.  I would probably make my husband take me each year to see the lights even if we didn’t have grandkids around to go with. 

As our lives become more busy and hectic, it seems harder each year to take time to remember the reason we celebrate the season.  I pulled out some nativity storybooks today to read to my grandchildren tonight as we go to see the lights, so that we can talk about the real meaning of the things we do at this Christmas season. And when we are done, maybe we will come back here to drink hot chocolate and eat peanut butter fudge.

~Gayle

Soft Ginger Cookies

I love ginger snaps-as long as they don't snap.  Soft and chewy for me.  I had a wonderful recipe a boss gave me years ago, but over time my tastes have changed.  I really don't like cookies made with shortening any more.  For some reason the shortening seems to stay in my mouth even when the cookie is gone.  Every fall I crave these cookies.  I wanted to try a ginger cookie made with butter instead of shortening.  I haven't been able to find the perfect recipe for me, so I decided to make up my own version.

I should also add the disclaimer that I am not a professional.  I'm sure there are better ways of doing this.  I like things simple.  So far I've had great results with these cookies.

Soft Ginger Cookies

1 C butter softened
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
1/2 C molasses
2 eggs
4 C flour
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and molasses.  Add the flour and spices and mix well.
One option is to chill the dough, roll into balls, and roll each ball in sugar.  That takes too long for me.  I just use a cookie scoop to put them onto a cookie sheet right after mixing.

Bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes.

These are soft and a little bit spicy-maybe not for everyone, but my family loves them!