Satisfy My Sweet Tooth ginger Archives » Satisfy My Sweet Tooth

Dec 20
2012

Gingerbread Hearts and a review of Decorating Cookies by Bridget Edwards

Gingerbread men and houses have never been a yearly tradition for me. However, I don’t really know why because I adore the spicy and complex flavor of ginger anything. I spotted this adorable cookie cutter awhile ago though and I could not resist trying a new gingerbread cutout cookie recipe.

I was particularly intrigued by this recipe because it is one of the cookie recipes in the incredibly talented Bridget Edward’s book Decorating Cookies. This book will encourage you to channel your inner cookie artist and try to recreate one of the 60 fun designs that Bridget offers in this book.

And not only does Bridget offer design inspiration, but she has you covered with all of the basics from how to fill a pastry bag to how to make your cookies sparkle with specialty decorating ingredients.

The thing that is so inspiring about this book is that Bridget is a self-taught baker and decorator which means that flawless design can be achieved by anyone with enough practice. I have tried making royal icing several times and I must say, with the step-by-step instructions in this book, I was able to achieve my best frosting yet!

Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: ~30 cookies

Warm and spicy gingerbread cookies perfect for decorating

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup (16 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cool and cut into cubes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 egg

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Set aside.
In a large bowl beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg and mix to combine.
Add the dry ingredients in three increments and mix until well combined.
Divide dough in half and form each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll out chilled dough one disk at a time (leaving the other disk in the refrigerator until you are ready to work with it) to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut shapes out and place onto prepared baking sheets leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.
Place the sheets of unbaked cookies into the freezer for 5 minutes so that the cookies will maintain their shapes while baking.
Remove from freezer and immediately bake 9-12 minutes or centers seem set.
Cool completely before decorating.
Recipe adapted from Decorating Cookies by Bridget Edwards

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*Sterling Publishing provided me with a copy of Decorating Cookies by Bridget Edwards, but all opinions are, as always, my own.

And, don’t forget to enter my ThermoWorks Thermapen Digital Thermometer Giveaway!

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Chewy Ginger and Molasses Chocolate Cookies

Last I shared with you one of my favorite Christmas cookies which are these Ginger Molasses Cookies from my grandma’s Bridge Club Cookbook.

I have to taste those cookies every year, or it just doesn’t feel like Christmas. This year I decided that since I love the molasses flavor of those cookies so much, why not mix it up a bit and try these Chewy Ginger and Molasses Chocolate Cookies?

These cookies are so soft and chewy and the bursts of chocolate from the chocolate chips embedded in these cookies offers a welcomed richness. These cookies are also very sturdy, so again, if you are sending cookies to someone or bringing cookies to an exchange, these cookies would travel particularly well.

Chewy Ginger and Molasses Chocolate Cookies

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: 26 cookies

Thick and chewy molasses cookies embedded with sweet, rich chocolate chips

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups, plus 1 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ground if you don't have whole nutmeg on hand)
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp hot water
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa.
In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
Add molasses and mix to combine.
In another small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the 1 1/2 Tbsp hot water.
Add half of dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix in baking soda and water combination. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix well to incorporate.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight (this will allow the dough to stay stiff whie it bakes so the cookies stay tall and puffy).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.
Roll dough into 1 1/2 -inch balls and roll each ball in the granulated sugar. Place onto cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until edges feel set.
Cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies.

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cream together butter and brown sugar

add molasses

add dry ingredients and baking soda mixture

mix in chocolate chips

after refrigerating dough, roll balls in sugar, then bake

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Homemade Ginger Chews and Ginger Simple Syrup

Are you obsessed with ginger chews like I am? I love to buy them at Trader Joe’s! They are such a satisfying little treat with their perfect chewiness and burst of fresh ginger flavor. I really love ginger in just about anything because it gives such warm spice to whatever you add it to.

When I saw this recipe for Candied Ginger from America’s Test Kitchen I had a feeling that the resulting sweet would be very similar to my much-loved store-bought chews. This homemade version punches you with even more of a spicy ginger kick. Also, as a bonus, if you save the syrup that you get after boiling the ginger, it is the perfect addition to cocktails, oatmeal, whipped cream or anything else you can think of that could use a sweet ginger jolt.

Ginger Chews and Ginger Simple Syrup

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: snack healthy ginger candy

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 1/4 cup sugar
ginger (as much as you would like to slice and make)

Instructions

Peel ginger and slice into nickel-sized pieces.

In a small saucepan, combine the water and 2 cups of sugar and simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Place ginger into syrup and simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain ginger into a colander over a bowl to reserve the ginger simple syrup for later use.

Place ginger pieces onto waxed paper in a single layer and allow to dry about 5 hours or until just tacky when you touch it.

Toss ginger in remaining sugar to coat.

Store in airtight container.

peel and slice ginger

combine water and 2 cups of sugar in a small sauce pan and simmer until sugar is dissolved, then add ginger and simmer for 30 minutes

strain ginger in colander over bowl to reserve syrup

lay ginger in a single layer on piece of wax paper and allow to dry

once dry, toss in remaining sugar

What would you do with ginger simply syrup?

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10th Day of Christmas: Gingerbread Scones and King Arthur Flour Giveaway!

On the 10th Day of Christmas my sweet tooth gave to me Gingerbread Scones and a King Arthur Flour giveaway!

The holiday season is in full swing. Chances are you will be hosting guests, attending parties and looking for edible gifts to share. There never seem to be enough hours in the day this time of year to accomplish everything you would like to and before you know it, days blur into weeks and it’s 2012!!

Sometimes I overwhelm myself with trying to do too much in this short season. It’s not that I think that anyone else will actually care how many cookies I make or how nicely my presents are wrapped. But it’s just that I enjoy doing these things and it makes me so happy to give someone beautifully decorated cookies or a great present. We can all use a little help and a few shortcuts to get us through the hustle and bustle.

Just in time for all of the madness I’ve got a great giveaway to share with you to help you through the madness.

The fabulous folks at King Arthur Flour sent me some of their scone mixes and lovely sparkling sugar to try and they are so kind they want to pass on these great products to one lucky reader! Have you tried King Arthur Flour products before? Their products truly are superior and they are dedicated to providing the highest quality ingredients. The company is employee-owned and that means that bakers with years of experience are actually behind the products making sure that you get a consistent result every time you use their flours.

Check out King Arthur Flour’s new products for holiday baking and learn a bit more about their amazing programs and initiatives:

Learn more about our flours, our commitment to quality, and why you get so much more with King Arthur Flour
Find out how to bring the free Life Skills Bread Baking Program to middle-school students in your community
Get step-by-step instructions for your most delicious baking through our Baking Banter blog or one of over 2,000 free recipes online
Get help with all your baking challenges from the experts on our Baking Hotline
Join our online community, The Baking Circle
Learn more about our Social Responsibility efforts, employee-ownership, and the farmers who grow our wheat

Ok, more about the giveaway! I made these Gingerbread Scones and they were so incredibly flavorful and elegant with very little effort. And this sparkly sanding sugar is perfect for making all of your baked goods shine. How perfect for a last minute breakfast treat for you and your family or guests! Enter to win the King Arthur Flour products that you see in the photo above:

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11th Day of Christmas: Ginger Molasses Cookies and traditions

On the 11th Day of Christmas, my sweet tooth gave to me Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies!

I am a very traditional person. On out first wedding anniversary, I insisted on giving my husband a paper product, because that is the traditional wedding gift for the first year of marriage. I will not let myself listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving because it is tradition. One of my favorite family Christmas traditions is that on Christmas Eve day my family draws names and then you have 1 hour and $25 to buy the person’s name you chose a pair of pajamas. We open our pajamas on Christmas Eve and then, on Christmas Day, you have to wear your pajamas all day. No matter what. You can imagine that this “rule” leads to some mischievousness. Everyone tries to get the silliest pajamas so that they can taunt the person who has to wear them all day long.

For example, this is me on Christmas Day last year:

You get the picture. I could pretend that I hated wearing these, but the truth is, I will always love Hello Kitty and it was cold out! I can’t think of anything I would have rather worn all day! Wow, I am really honest with you. Maybe too honest??

The point is, I love traditions and when it comes to what I bake and make for Christmas each year, my traditionalism shines. One of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes is an old recipe from my grandma’s bridge club. These ginger molasses cookies are warm with spices and stay chewy as long as they last. And they are so easy and quick to make!