Gingerbread Men Cookies

Here's the basic gingerbread cookie recipe as well as the recipe for Royal Icing.

Cut the cookies into any shapes you want!

Add food coloring to the icing as desired.

INGREDIENTS~

3 cups flour

2 tsp ground ginger (I use 3)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1.5 sticks softened butter (3/4 cup)

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molassas

1 egg

STEPS~

Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together.

In a different bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until nice and fluffy.

Add the molassas and egg into the butter/brown sugar mixture and beat well.

Now gradually beat in the flour mixture to the butter/brown sugar mixture using a mixer on a low speed.

Once it's all mixed well, gather up the dough into a big, flat disk and wrap it up in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Lightly flour a work surface and your hands and then roll out the cold dough to about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. (advice - avoid cutters that create overly thin areas as they tend to break easily. This is usually the neck area)

Gather up the scrapes and work into 1/4 inch thick and cut out more shapes.

Place your cookies on a greased cookie sheet, about and inch apart from each other and pop into the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Pull out when edges of cookies are set and dough is just starting to brown.

Remove from oven and transfer cookies to wire cooling racks.

Decorate with store bought icing or homemade royal icing.

ROYAL ICING RECIPE~

INGREDIENTS~
1 lb powdered sugar

1 tsp cream of tarter (it's with the other spices at the store)

3 beaten egg whites

6 TBSP hot water

DIRECTIONS~

Icing hardens fast so be prepared to decorate cookies right away after making the icing. Combine everything into a large bowl and beat with a mixer on high about 6 minutes. You want nice, stiff peaks to form and the icing should be shiny and fluffy.

If you are making different colors, set aside 1/2 cup of icing in a separate bowl and add 1 drop of food color and mix well. If you want a stronger color, add 1 drop at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Place cookies on aluminum foil before icing them.

Use a knife, paint brush or icing bags to decorate the cookies.

Advice - to avoid different colors from bleeding into each other on the cookie, let the 1st icing dry completely before putting a different color on top of it.

If your icing starts to harden too fast, add one TBSP hot water at a time and mix well.

Chocolate-Ganache Truffles

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TRUFFLES

Ingredients:

10 oz whipping cream

2 oz light corn syrup

2 oz whole coffee beans

1 lb milk baking chocolate

1 cup cocoa powder

Prep:

Put chocolate in large mixing bowl, set aside

In another pan, bring cream, corn syrup and the coffee beans to a gentle boil

Remove mixture from heat and set aside 5 minutes

Strain out coffee beans and dispose

Slowly pour mixture SLOWLY over chocolate

Mix well with spatula, finish with an electric mixer

Set in refrigerator overnight to crystalize

The next morning-

Using a small scoop (like a melon baller) to make small balls

Finish rolling by hand to make more perfect spheres

Put cocoa powder in a shallow dish

Roll balls in powder to coat them lightly and evenly

Keep balls in refrigerator until ready to serve

Options-

Use your imagination!

Try different coffee flavors such as Vanilla Nut Cream or Mint

Add very finely chopped nuts to the cocoa powder mixture

Try dark baking chocolate for a more intense flavor

Bon Apetit!

BREAD PUDDING - CHRISTMAS & THANKSGIVING RECIPE

This is a sweet side dish or dessert from the "old days." It's not a pudding at all and assembled like an upside down cake. If you like upside down cakes, custard, pie or moist cakes you should give this a try. It has a mild taste and is "comfort food" for many. If you like raisins or brown sugar then you will love this recipe!

Ingredients:

double boiler (or a small pan inside a larger pan)

1 cup brown sugar (more if you are a brown sugar addict)

1/2 cup traditional or golden raisins

5 slices good quality bread, buttered, crusts removed and cut into long strips

3 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1.5 tsp vanilla

1.5 tsp cinnamon

Optional - serve topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Instructions:

1. lightly oil insides of smaller/inside pan

2. add brown sugar, smooth it evenly on bottom

3. evenly distribute raisins over brown sugar layer

4. top with the bread, evenly

5. in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon

6. pour this mixture on top of the bread

7. steam for 1.5 hours

8. invert onto serving platter

9. serve warm or cold

10. keep leftovers in refrigerator

MORAVIAN GINGERBREAD COOKIES

These cookies are very moist and chewy. They have a strong gingerbread/molassas taste. Make them small so that the taster isn't overwhelmed. Nice dipped in applesauce as you eat.

Ingredients:

4.5 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1.5 cups dark molassas (cut back to 1 cup if you want to make this milder)
1/2 tsp white vinegar

Directions:

1. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger together
2. In another bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until creamy
3. Add butter mixture into dry ingredients bowl and mix well
4. Add molassas and vinegar. Mix well
5. Cover bowl and chill dough overnight
6. With wet hands, form dough into small balls (dough will be sticky)
7. Press balls down onto non-stick cookie sheet, about 1/8th inch thick
8. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 350F - until lightly browned.




FYI- Moravia is next to Bohemia, both now part of the Czech Republic. It is north of Vienna and east of Prague. Moravia was independant in the beginning, then part of the 500 year rule of the Hapsburg family dynasty. In the beginning people spoke German and Czech dialects. Now it's mostly Czech. Towns and streets with German names were translated into Czech or renamed after WW2. This photo is of a MORAVIAN STAR, a popular "Germanic" decoration at Christmas time.

CHOCOLATE HOMEMADE TRUFFLES

Ingredients:

2.5 pkgs BAKER's semi-sweet chocolate (break up into small pieces)

8 oz softened Cream Cheese

Optional - very finely chopped nuts, sprinkles, cocoa or chocolate drink powder, cake/cookie decorating icing

1. Melt 8 chocolate squares under low heat

2. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy

3. Add melted chocolate into cream cheese and blend well

4. Refridgerate mixture until firm (like play dough)

5. Remove from refrigerator and form into balls (about half to 3/4 the size of golf balls)

6. Place on waxed papered cookie sheet. Push each ball down very gently to form a small, flat bottom

7. Melt remaining chocolate

8. Gently poke top of each ball with a fork and then dip it into the melted chocolate

9. After dipping each ball, set it back onto the waxed paper and top with optional toppings. But wait until all balls are done being dipped if you want to use the icing.

10. Refrigerate at least 1 hour

11. Serve from a pretty plate or put into individual paper/foil candy cups

CRANBERRY SALAD

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh cranberries, rinsed

1/2 lb small marshmallows, red & green ones if you can find them

2 cups sugar

20 oz can crushed pineapple

1 ripe, sliced banana

1 cup whipped cream

1. Coarsly grind cranberries in blender or food processor

2. In bowl, combine cranberries, marshmallows and pineapple and it's juice

3. Cover and put in refrigerator overnight

4. Next day - stir in sliced bananas

5. Top individual servings with whipped cream

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