Category Archives: Uncategorized

December 18, 2011 · 10:03 am

Cookie Countdown Day 1: Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Welp it’s that time of year again.

That holiday cheer time of year.

But more importantly…

It’s cookie time.

I just don’t feel like it’s Christmas until I have baked an insane amount of cookies.

My first year in college I went home for winter break after a long semester with no kitchen, (and therefore no baking), and made 9 different kinds of cookies the first week I was home.

I’m not messing around when it comes to cookies and the holidays.

Thus, I bring you: Cookie Countdown!

In this week before Christmas I will have a different kind of cookie every day for your holiday baking pleasure.

I’ve got some old favorites, some twists on some favorites, some family traditions and maybe a surprise??

You need SOMETHING to make new year resolutions about right?????

Then, I will lay off the cookies.  I promise.

Maybe I’ll make a nice stew or something.

Ready for this?

Day one brings a holiday necessity: ginger cookies.

Notice I did not say ginger snaps.

Fun Fact: I hate ginger snaps.

I just don’t. like. crunchy. cookies.

Sorry I’m not sorry.

I know it’s weird because crunchiness doesn’t change the flavor but seriously…for years I proclaimed my hatred of ginger cookies.

Then, I tried a soft one.

My world has changed, my friends.  Let me change yours.

As you can see...there was some cookie melting in my mouth when this photo was taken...

These melt in your mouth.

Literally.

And they KEEP melting in your mouth EVEN after they’ve been on your counter for a while!

Magical.

Oh yeah…sorry they’re not gingerbread men…the dough is too soft and sticky to roll and cut.

We’re going to kind of solve that problem tomorrow….

……………………….

Cryptic? Just come back and see!

Ok ok let’s bake some stuff now.

Collect yourself for the impending cookie mania.

Ok very important.

Remember the candied ginger from when we made ginger ale?

It’s back and it is the very best part of these cookies.

That dough up there becomes dough balls which get rolled in candied ginger!!

Then you know..baked of course.

They aren’t super ginger-y on their own.

They’re far less spicy than those ginger snaps you get in the pound bag at the grocery store.

The candied ginger is fun because you get little pops of spicy ginger once in a while to break up the sweet.

I like it.

I like you.

This is just day one…more to come…

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

P.S. A little something to get you in the holiday spirit http://www.holidayhitsusa.com/

Soft Ginger Bread Cookies

Recipe Adapted From Big Soft Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger  ((I would increase this if you want a lot of ginger flavor and don’t have candied ginger))
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar plus extra coat the cookies in before baking if you want
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup maple syrup (which I used instead of molasses…honey is another option…all of these will give the cookies a different flavor so pick your favorite)
**Candied ginger to coat the cookies (optional but not really…you need it, trust me)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the egg, then stir in the water and syrup (or molasses or honey or whatever).
  3. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the molasses mixture.
  4. Shape dough into balls (they spread a lot so choose your size accordingly), and roll them in some sugar if you want and definitely some candied ginger.
  5. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten!
  6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

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December 8, 2011 · 10:34 pm

Granola Bars

Ohhh yeaaah I made granola bars today!!

Feeling like a cool kid.

What have you done today?

(that sounded confrontational…it was really just curious…let’s not fight)

I was pretty much expecting to end up with bricks on my first shot at granola bars.

Instead I got chewy deliciousness that even my breakfast-hater of a boyfriend (horror of horrors) would eat for breakfast UNPROMPTED!

Great success!

No further ado…I ramble far to much…let’s let the food speak for itself.

Today’s post brought to you by: bits.

Granola bits:

Hmm..granola bits as still life?

(I threw a handful of the granola bits on a cutting board so you could see…don’t I look clever and artsy? What does this photo say to you?)

Oh don’t worry…chocolate made an appearance at this bits bash

Duh.

As great as they are…bits, alone, do not a granola bar make.

Bring on the pumpkin (my last can!)

Also some “autumn spices,” if you will…because it IS still autumn.

And I WILL put winter off as long as possible.

Honey holds it together.

Throw in the oats (not a bit…actually a lot) and you’ve got yourself some delicious granola goop!

Pressed into a pan as tightly as possible then baked for a BIT (man this word is everywhere)…

Smile!

You’ve got granola bars and the sun came out today.

Life. Is. Good.

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

Pumpkin Granola Bars

Recipe adapted from a million different recipes…I kind of made this up

1/2 cup chocolate (I chopped up some old Hershey’s kisses…still workin my way through them)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup cashews (chopped)

1/2 cup almonds (slivered or at least chopped)

1/3 cup pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon oil

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ginger

2/3 cup honey

2 c oats

1.  Mix your bits (chocolate through almonds) in a bowl and set them aside.  The bits are flexible. You can use whatever you have on hand/prefer.  Different nuts? M&Ms? Craisins?  Coconut? Go for it.  Very flexible.

2. Combine the pumpkin, vanilla, oil and spices in a large bowl.

3. Stir in the honey then add the oats and bits

4. Press press press the mixture into a square pan as tightly as you can.  I probably didn’t press enough…they aren’t as tightly packed as I would like and fall apart a little bit

5.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your pan) or until the edges turn golden brown

6.  Let cool completely before attempting to cut them. Cut into squares or bars or whatever shape you like and enjoy!

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December 4, 2011 · 7:23 pm

Apple Crisp

In case you haven’t figured this out yet…

I’m a chocolate fanatic.

Generally, I’ll take a hunk of chocolate over pretty much any other dessert.

This apple crisp, however, completely, totally, 100% blew me away.

Stole my heart.

Swept me right off my feet.

And knocked me clear off my rocker.

I don’t know if it has just been a while and I forgot how great apple crisp is or if this one was particularly amazing…

but I kind of lost it for a while there and could not stop raving about how unbelievable it was and insisting that everyone try some immediately.

Fortunately, they agreed with me.

It didn’t take that much convincing.

Crisps/crumbles (whatever) are awesome because they can either be crazy complicated and fancy or super simple.

Either way it’s delicious.

I went simple.

The best part?

It all starts with a pretty bowl full of apples!

You start by chopping them up.

It’s a good day when even your scraps are pretty!

Then it’s time for the good part

Don’t forget the butter.

(just saying…so far we have oats, cinnamon, sugar and butter in a bowl.)

((it’s a great day))

Do what you gotta do to make that butter into little chunks.

You know…like a crumble….

…for your crumble topping.

(A pastry cutter is easiest)

((Mom doesn’t have one…because I stole hers))

Don’t stress too much about your chunks.

You do want it to combine with your dry ingredients pretty well but it’s just going to melt on top of your apples and mingle with your cinnamon sugar until it’s pure joy in a pan.

Spread it around, let it make friends with your cinnamon/sugar/oaty stuff.

Stress is not invited to this cinna-party.

So…I have made a lot of apple crisps in my life.

This time…things went a little differently.

I did two things that may have contributed to the absolute amazingness of this crisp.

A little maple syrup drizzled over the apples added some depth to the flavors.

It wasn’t just straight up sugar.

It was INTERESTING sugar.

Also those pecans were spot. on.

I lloooovvvveeeeee how they get all toasty in the oven. Such a perfect addition to regular crumble topping.

Assembly is pretty simple.

Throw your apples in a baking dish, sprinkle the crumble on top then bake until the top is toasty brown and the middle is bubbling up sticky cinna-sweet all over your crunchy crumbly topping and you absolutely can. not. resist taking a fork right to the pan before you even get a picture of the whole crisp without a piece missing.

Silly.

Those pecans look burned there.

They are not.

They are TOASTY.

It’s different.

And delicious.

I dare you to resist.

I did not.

((At least I used a fork…)

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

Update: Apparently my parents were battling over this crisp after I left. TRY IT!

Apple Crisp

Recipe from my head based on a million different recipes

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (chilled)

maple syrup

chopped pecans

7 apples, (or as many as fit in your baking  dish), chopped into small chunks

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F

2. Peel, wash and chop your apples into bite sized pieces.  I like pretty small pieces when it comes to crumbles and pies.  You could slice them pretty big if you wanted to.  Choose your own adventure.  When they’re chopped just dump them in your baking dish

3.  Drizzle the apples all over with maple syrup and toss them around a little to evenly coat the chunks

4. Mix your dry ingredients (through salt) until well combined

5.  Cube your butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two knives until you have even-ish chunks and it is well combined with the dry ingredients

6. Toss in a handful of chopped pecans…how much depends on how nutty you’re feeling (ha!).  I was feeling about 1/2-3/4 cup nutty

7. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over your apples and bake for about half an hour or until top is golden brown

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