So I decided to try some gingerbread of my own.  My take?  A spicy gingerbread cake with a lemon cinnamon glaze.

Not too bad considering I totally forgot to add the egg.  Whoops.  Oh, and the glaze was good and all, but not as good as whipped cream and strawberries.

I got the recipe from King Arthur Flour and I definitely recommend it.  It is super easy (you can make it in just one bowl) and it smells great while it’s baking.  If you’re looking for something super sweet, take a pass.  If you’re looking for something different, dig in.

Again, the whole recipe is here, but I’ll break down the quick easy steps.  First you just dump in all the dry ingredients and mix them well.

Then melt some butter (I melted in a glass measuring cup in the microwave).  This recipe taught me an amazing trick…if you melt butter, then add molasses, the butter rises to the top and you can keep adding molasses until you reach the right measurement (in this case, 3/4 cup).   And the best part is…the butter loosens the thick molasses so that it comes right out of the measuring cup like…wait for it…butter!

After you mix in the butter and molasses, the batter will look good enough to eat.

Next you add some buttermilk, water and an egg (unless you are like me and omit the egg accidentally).  Oh, and don’t peg me for the type that has buttermilk lying around.  Want in on a secret?  If you have lemon juice and milk, then you have buttermilk (this awesome blog has a few additional substitutions and beautiful photos).

I was a total rebel and used my fancy-pants bundt cake pan (also seen here, here and here) instead of a standard cake pan.  A girl just has to break the rules from time to time, right!?

While the cake baked at 350 for about a half hour, I whisked up some lemon glaze (confectioners sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon mixed to your favorite texture and flavor).

And then I dug in.

Chris turned his nose up at the cake (he is skeptical of a fancy-looking thing like gingerbread) but Ike loved it (he also loved it at my friend’s house).  So, Ike and I enjoyed a piece after dinner.  And maybe for breakfast the next morning.

Yum.

Happy baking!

(I cannot explain the many deficiencies of my husband, namely his indifference to the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, but I love him anyway.)

So, let me tell you something.  I am really tired right now.  If I keep typing, I am going to make more typos than I probably already have made, and that would be embarrassing.  So, I am going to wrap this post up real quick by sharing these few things:

• The recipe is right here (courtesy of Cate’s World Kitchen blog).
• This is my second time making the recipe, so it comes well recommended.
• I’ve added chocolate and peanut butter chips to the recipes both times.  Do the same and you won’t be disappointed.
• You might consider adding one less cup of oatmeal (it calls for 4 cups!) just to make the cookies a bit more chewy
• You also might consider making the cookies huge like I did.  Just for fun.

And this just might be my shortest recipe post ever.  Enjoy it while it lasts.

These may look a little complicated, but I promise it is easier than you think.  The Martha Stewart recipe originally called for sandwiching two cookies together with frosting in between, but I prefer to double the number of cookies just by dolloping frosting on top and covering with coconut.  And it might have something to do with increasing the cookie-to-frosting ratio.  Maybe.

Allow me to break this recipe down into the quick easy steps (because the full play-by-play from Martha does come across as a little intimidating)…

The first step is to grind up some coconut to go into the cookie batter (this is separate from what you put on top of the cookie).

Next you mix up the cookie batter, which is so good that I could pretty much eat it all before baking (butter and sugars first with eggs and vanilla, then add in flour mixture and coconut).

Mmmm…coconut cookie dough…

I used a cookie dough scoop to form nice rows of “snowballs” and baked them up.

While the baking magic was happening, I mixed 1 stick of butter with 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make some buttercream frosting.

Then it was a matter of frosting…

…and dipping in a bowl of coconut…

Who said you couldn’t have a white Christmas?

We attended a little holiday gathering this weekend and my snowballs made an appearance, along with some Chocolate Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies and some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars (and another recipe that I’ll feature next week).

Psst…I’m getting into the holiday spirit by writing 12 holiday themed posts leading up to Christmas.  In case you missed it, here are the other posts: Day 1: Felt Ornaments; Day 2: Holiday Door Swag…

You can Google about a gazillion different ways to prepare this, but it’s really so simple that you don’t need a recipe.

All you need is a wheel of brie, some thawed puff pastry dough (you can find it in the freezer section at your grocery store, usually near the frozen desserts/fruit), and something yummy to layer (I chose Stonewall Kitchen’s Strawberry Balsamic Jam).

Roll the puff pastry dough until it is large enough to wrap around your cheese and then layer as shown below.

Once you have your layering complete, just wrap the dough up and around the brie and flip the whole thing over and down onto a well-greased baking sheet or round cake pan.  You can decorate with cut-outs from the leftover dough, or just leave it plain.  Either way, brush the whole wheel with an egg wash (egg wash = 1 beaten egg + 1 TBS water).

Then bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Let the brie sit for about a half-hour before serving with some crackers or crusty bread.  I am getting hungry just thinking about it…

And, as I mentioned before, there are so many variations you could try.  You could use cranberry sauce instead of jam, or go a more savory route with parsley and almonds.  Trust me, you’ll have the fanciest pants at any holiday party if you show up toting this snack.

Enjoy!

You see, I was whipping up a batch of granola this morning (in preparation for this week’s lunches) when I was coming to terms with the fact that I would have to take a pass in this week’s homemade gift themed challenge…seeing how my Sunday was already booked with cooking, cleaning and Christmas tree cutting/decorating.  That’s when it occurred to me: granola would make a great homemade Christmas gift.  Right?

And, if I’m being really honest, I actually poured four of my pre-portioned baggies of granola into this pint-sized jar to shoot this photograph.  Then I re-portioned back into half-cup servings.  Just for you.

But truly, I would love to get homemade granola as a gift during the holiday season and I think that a jar of the crunchy goodness would be a great option for a hostess, neighbor, co-worker or teacher gift.

Here is how I made mine…

Tasty Homemade Granola
(Makes about 4 cups)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of old-fashioned oats (not quick oats!)
• 1/2 cup of wheat germ
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 TBS brown sugar
• 3 TBS maple syrup
• 1 TBS honey (or omit this and add 1 TBS maple syrup)
• 2 TBS molasses (or omit this and add 2 TBS maple syrup)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (you could replace this with vegetable or canola oil)
  
• 1/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• Dried fruit/raisins/other add-ins (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix oats, wheat germ, cinnamon and brown sugar; set aside.  In a small saucepan, heat (until simmering) brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, molasses, and applesauce.  Drizzle heated mixture over oatmeal mixture and stir until the oats are well-covered.  Stir in coconut and almonds.  Spread mixture on a well-greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes, stirring regularly.  Let cool and stir in dried fruits or other add-ins as desired. (My recipe was adapted from this one.)

You can make this gift-able by filling up a jar and topping it with something pretty.  I could also envision packaging the granola in brown-paper lunch sacks (with a ziplock bag inside).  So many options.

Are you making homemade gifts this year?  If you need ideas, head on over to NewlyWoodwards to check out what my fellow bloggers are making!

For those of you who saw our Thanksgiving menu, this recipe was on it.  I decided to try something new to serve up my favorite green vegetable and it seemed to work out okay.  Let’s face it, with all the turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce, who really raves about green beans?

I used this recipe and it was super simple.  Just marinate your green beans and sliced mushrooms with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a big plastic bag.  Spread them on a baking sheet and roast the vegetables at 450 for about 20-30 minutes (until the beans are just crisp).  The picture above is the raw version.  The cooked version looks a bit more crinkly.  But still good.

Because I live near the fancy-pants Fiore Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars shop I used Aged Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar and Tuscan Herb Olive Oil, which are super amazing.  And I have good news for you…you don’t have to live in Maine to get these oils and vinegars because you can order online (I hear the Fiore folks are shipping like crazy people this time of year!).

I promise this post didn’t just turn into an infomercial (got that, camera guy?), I just really love Fiore and the owners Nancy and Pat (who are faithful blog readers).

And, I should say that you are supposed to top these beans and mushrooms off with some Parmesan cheese when they are done roasting.  But I forgot.  So sue me. (Not really, please.)

Am I convincing any of you to whip up some green beans tonight?  What’s your favorite green vegetable?

So I made some simple chocolate cookies with peppermint and milk chocolate chips.  And I recommend eating them warm with vanilla ice cream that is left over from Thanksgiving.

The pictures really don’t do the cookies justice.  I rushed to make these before darkness started setting in at 3:30 p.m., but I barely made it.  Regardless, there are many benefits to these cookies:

• They are easy
• You can make and bake them in less than one nap time
• They are tasty

I was inspired to make peppermint chip and chocolate chip cookies by seeing this recipe, but I wanted more chocolate.  So, I took a basic Hershey’s chocolate cookie recipe and adapted it.  Here’s how the whole thing goes:

Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint and Chocolate Chips

INGREDIENTS:

•  2/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1.5 cups light brown sugar
• 1 TBS water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (I found them at my local grocery store)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• In a mixer, combine shortening, sugar, water and vanilla and blend well until very smooth and creamy.  Then add eggs one at a time, mixing as you go.
• Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, then add slowly to the sugar mixture with the mixer on low speed.
• Stir in the peppermint and chocolate chips.  Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 8-10 minutes (depending on the size) at 375 degrees.

And, voila!

Need some other ideas for your holiday baking?  Here is a round up of some of my favorite cookie/holiday recipes, and you can head over to NewlyWoodwards to see the other recipes from challenge participants.

• Chocolate Mint Wafers
• Peanut Butter Cookies
• Vermont Ginger Cookies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Brownies
• Raspberry Cream Trifle
• Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake

Happy baking!

This means that my co-workers were my guinea pigs for a recipe I wanted to test out before Thanksgiving.  They voted the recipe a success, so I am sharing it with you.  Who knows, maybe it will end up on your Thanksgiving dessert buffet?

I love the combination of orange and cranberry.  One of my go-to recipes during the Thanksgiving season has always been cranberry orange bread.  I’m not sure how the idea came to me, but when a recent urge to bake came over me, I remembered the blueberry lemon bundt cake I made last winter and thought that it could handle a berry and citrus switch-up.  So, I swapped cranberries for blueberries and orange juice for lemon juice, and voila!

Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake (with orange glaze)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2.5 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 cups cranberries
• orange juice
• confectioner’s sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Beat sugars and butter until smooth and creamy.

Then add eggs one at a time and stir in vanilla.

Mix together dry ingredients and add them to the butter mixture, alternating with yogurt (start and end with the flour mixture)

Add a splash of orange juice (about 2 TBS) and stir in cranberries.

Pour batter in a well-greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for about 60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before turning it onto a cooling rack.  Once your cake is completely cooled, you can whip up some glaze.

For the glaze, take a cup or two of confectioner’s sugar and add orange juice until it reaches glaze consistency.  Pour it over a cooled cake (it may soak in, but it will still be delicious).

Yum!  Is it Thanksgiving yet?

Petite pies, you ask?  Well, according to this product, they are the new “it” dessert…the label even says “move over, cupcakes.”  Anyone or anything that tells cupcakes to move over has my attention, which is how this pie mold ended up in my shopping basket when I recently stumbled upon a Stonewall Kitchen store on my work travels.

Chris knew the end of this story before I even started.  He asked, “why would you want a petite pie when you could have a normal-sized pie?”  It’s a fair question.  But I needed to try to make the new “it” dessert.  So I whipped up my favorite pie crust and apple pie filling.  I had high hopes for golden brown petite pies.

Despite using a very modest amount of filling, my petite pies leaked.  And they looked nothing like the picture.  A tear might have been shed.

But looks aren’t everything, right?  Once I took the pies off the baking sheet, they didn’t look so bad.

But the taste wasn’t right.  The yummy pie juice that normally sits at the bottom and flavors the pie had seeped out.  I had a tasteless pie with the wrong proportion of crust to filling.  It was a sad day.

So, au revoir, petite pie mold.  You are not the new “it” dessert for me!

Then you can make this cake! (It has lemon cream cheese frosting, BTW.  And three layers.)

I usually pull this cake out for summer special occasions.  I made it for my mom’s 50th birthday a few summers ago, and this weekend I made it for my cousin and his girlfriend who were here in Maine so he could propose (she said yes!).  I had to keep my mouth full of this cake to keep the secret.

This recipe is from a local cafe owner named Kyra Alex who has a to-die-for cafe in beautiful Stonington, Maine.  The food is amazing, and so is the decor and atmosphere.  I could live there.  Anyway, her book seems to be out of print, so I feel okay sharing her recipe.  And here it is:

Blueberry Layer Cake (with cream cheese frosting)
(from Kyra Alex’s book Cooking in the Moment)

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

• 2 sticks and 2 TBS unsalted butter
• 2.25 cups of sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3.5 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries (preferably Maine wild blueberries)

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 pound of cream cheese (two 8 oz bars)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• lemon juice (recipe calls for 1 tsp, I use more)

INSTRUCTIONS:

First, separate your eggs (whites from yolks, that is).  Because separating eggs is fun.

Then beat together your butter and sugar for about 5 minutes.  Then add egg yolks one at a time until each one is well blended.  Then add your vanilla.  Off to the side, combine your dry ingredients and whisk them well.

Run the mixer on low speed and then add milk and flour alternately in three batches, starting with flour and ending with flour.

Your next move is with those remaining egg whites.  Whip ‘em.  Whip ‘em good.  At least until they are “just stiff” like the picture below.

Next gently fold the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in blueberries.

Then divide the batter evenly among three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).  While the cake is baking, clean your mixer and attend to the frosting.

Beat together the butter and cream cheese until it is nice and creamy.  Then, slowly add each cup of powdered sugar.  At the end, add in some lemon juice until you like the texture and taste.  Yes, you get to taste the frosting.  It is necessary!

My biggest tip is to let the cakes cool nearly all the way before you remove them from the pan.  I give my cakes a good shake before removing from the pan—this helps loosen them up.

Then frost away…

A three-layer cake is a good thing, no?