Homemade Ginger Snap Cookies Recipe

Old fashioned ginger snaps have a chewy center and are full of spicy ginger flavor that goes perfectly with a glass of raw goats or cows milk. The spices fill your kitchen and home with the smell of Christmas while the cookies are baking. Ginger has antioxidants and is an herbal aid for the digestion. What better way to help your digestive system than eating ginger snap cookies?

Homemade Ginger Snap Cookies Recipe

Cookies

1 cup packed raw dark brown sugar
¾ cup lard from pastured pigs
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
1 egg from pastured hens
2 ¼ cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon up to 1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon up to 1 teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Dehydrated cane sugar

Homemade Ginger Snap Cookies Recipe

Step 1: Mix together the brown sugar, lard, molasses and egg until creamy.

Step 2: In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and sea salt. Stir a little at a time into the sugar mixture until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or more.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 375°.

Step 4: Using a teaspoon, scoop up dough into rounded balls and dip into the dehydrated cane sugar. Place the balls of dough, sugar side up, onto a greased (with lard) cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes just until set. Remove from the cookie sheet onto a platter and let cool.

These cookies are chewy and delicious. And they contain the natural sugars and molasses that still have the minerals and vitamins intact, and a healthy fat that nourishes our bodies. The spices not only promote health, they are delicious and make your house smell better than using candles.

©2009 Shanna Ohmes

Homemade Ginger Snap Cookies Recipe

Discover more natural foods and how to prepare them by clicking the following link The Natural Living Site

New Mexican Christmas Cookies - Biscochitos Recipe

Biscochitos are the official state cookie of New Mexico. Served traditionally at Christmas, at weddings, and any other celebration, biscochitos are a type of shortbread. Unlike traditional shortbread, however, this recipe can be a little tricky to make. After awhile, you learn to have a feel for the dough and it gets easier. It is worth the effort to learn to make these delicious little cookies.

Biscochitos have a long history that stretches all the way back to Spain. Known as Mantecosos across the Atlantic (that means buttery in Spanish), these little cookies are sometimes called Mexican Wedding cookies. In fact, the name of this delicious little cookie has caused quite a debate. In northern New Mexico, they are known as biscochitos and biscochos in the southern part of New Mexico. When this cookie was made the official state cookie in 1989, the state legislature had to debate on how to spell the name. The Senate finally decided on bizcochito, though you still see it with multiple spellings.

Cookies

Recipe for Biscochitos

New Mexican Christmas Cookies - Biscochitos Recipe

This delightful little cookie is perfect with coffee, tea or even a glass of wine.

What You Need

• 1 pound lard
• 1 heaping cup granulated sugar
• 2 to 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 teaspoons anise seed
• 6 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 cup red wine
• 1/8 cup orange juice concentrate, partially thawed
• 4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

How You Make It

Whip the lard with a mixer set on medium-high. The lard should become silky in texture; this will take up to 10 minutes. Add sugar and mix well with lard, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly each time. Add salt and mix. Add the following ingredients in this order: anise, flour, baking powder. Continue to mix well. Add wine and orange juice concentrate. Beat the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.

Moisten your fingers and work surface. Roll out the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. (Hint: It helps to lightly flour the bottom piece of plastic wrap.) Try to touch the dough as little as possible while you shape it into a rectangle and pat it until it is even. A marble rolling pin works best due to its weight and temperature for rolling. You want the dough to be about half an inch thick. Cut the dough into quarters. Dip each quarter into cinnamon sugar and set gently on a greased cookie sheet.

Using a small, sharp knife, cut each quarter into strips about 1-1/2 inches wide. Turn the tray and cut in the other direction so you end up with little squares. Make four tiny cuts toward the center of each piece. Using your thumb and forefinger, raise the edges towards the center, making a rosette.

Bake the cookies about 13 minutes or until the edges are browned. Your time may vary depending on the temperature of your oven. The finished cookies should be crisp.

New Mexican Christmas Cookies - Biscochitos Recipe

Mexican recipes like posole are wonderful holiday meals, but you certainly do not have to wait for a holiday to enjoy Mexican cuisine. Try some Mexican dessert recipes for a twist on the same old desserts you're used to. They're wonderful!

MexicanDessertRecipes.net The Sweet Side of Mexican Food

Cookie Recipe - Old Fashioned Ice Box Cookies

My grandmother was known in our family for her delicious cookies. She lived two hours away from us, but when she would come to visit, she often brought these tasty ice box cookies. I think they were supposed to last for the whole week that she was there, but they barely made it through a couple of days. Of course, in the old days, they didn't have refrigerators. They had ice boxes, and that is how these cookies got their name.

Ingredients

\"Decorated Cookies\"

1 cup soft shortening

Cookie Recipe - Old Fashioned Ice Box Cookies

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon soda

2 eggs

1 cup finely chopped nuts

3 1/2 cups flour

Instructions

Mix thoroughly the shortening, sugar, and eggs. Sift together the flour, salt, and soda. Blend in the nuts.

Now, on cutting board, or on a piece of wax paper, divide the cookie dough into two rolls. Wrap each roll in wax paper, making sure all of the dough is covered so none of it dries out. Chill these two rolls in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, when you are ready to make the cookies, take them out and cut the rolls into 1/8 inch slices. Place about an inch or so apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. This recipe should yield about 12 dozen cookies.

You may want to choose a day when your children are home from school because of a snow day. Enjoy an afternoon in the kitchen together preparing and baking these cookies. Then curl up and watch a movie together or play a board game at the kitchen table while you are munching on them!

Cookie Recipe - Old Fashioned Ice Box Cookies

For ideas and tips on homemaking, cooking, crafts, family life, gardening, family history, and a touch of the past, visit http://www.oldfashionedhomemaking.com.

Pfeffernusse German Cookies Recipe

This is a traditional recipe for Pfeffernusse cookies which are often made in Germany during the Christmas holiday season. They are spicy, crisp, peppery cookies which are wonderful for dunking in milk or coffee. Their taste even improves with age when kept in a sealed air-tight container at room temperature. Baked cookies can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients:

Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for dusting

Pfeffernusse German Cookies Recipe

Directions:

Grease cookie sheets and set aside.

Melt butter or margarine over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Stir in the molasses and honey and continue to heat and stir until mixture is creamy and well blended. Remove the saucepan from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. Stir eggs into the cooled mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, anise seeds and salt until well blended. Stir in the molasses mixture and mix well until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 to 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Roll dough into small balls about 3/4 inch in diameter. Place dough balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Use a spatula to move cookies to a cooling rack.

Place powdered sugar in a plastic bag. Adding a small amount of cookies at a time, shake gently to coat completely with powdered sugar.

Recipe yields about 5 1/2 dozen cookies.

Pfeffernusse German Cookies Recipe

K. Hupp enjoys cooking, gardening and unique collectibles. Visit a German Collectibles Haus to see the newest Steinbach Nutcrackers and Smokers for the holiday season.

Recipe for Traditional Swedish Christmas Cookies or Pepparkakor

In any traditional Swedish home, the smell of these home baked cookies will be found wafting throughout the home at Christmas time. The Swedes really love cooking for the holiday season and the Christmas Eve celebration is the highlight of the year.

Don't be worried by the literal translation of Pepparkakor, which means pepper cookies, it may have been that in olden times there was a little pepper in the recipe, but now there's just a tasty mix of spices.

Cookies

Christmas Spice Cookies or Pepparkakor

Recipe for Traditional Swedish Christmas Cookies or Pepparkakor

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1. 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter
2. 1 1/2 cups sugar
3. 1 egg
4. 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
5. 1/4 cup orange juice
6. 2 teaspoons orange zest
7. 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
8. 2 teaspoons baking soda
9. 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
10. 2 teaspoons ground ginger
11. 2 teaspoons ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 400˚ F.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in egg, corn syrup, orange juice, and orange zest.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir flour mixture into the creamed butter until combined.

4. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven. Cool cookies on wire racks.

These are a wonderful cookie recipe for children to make and taste even better when cut out with all manner of shape of cookie cutters!

Enjoy making and eating this traditional Swedish cookie recipe.

Recipe for Traditional Swedish Christmas Cookies or Pepparkakor

For further ideas for Swedish recipes [http://www.worldwide-recipes.com/swedish-recipes.html] and Christmas Recipes [http://www.worldwide-recipes.com], visit our website.

Holiday Cookies - Recipe For Mincemeat Cookies

Mincemeat in olden times was contained in a crust and known as Christmas pie. The Puritans associated the pie with Catholics and thus, they were banned. But the concoction survived and can be found pre-made in jars around Christmas time.

Made up of apples and other fruits, it did indeed contain meat at one time. Nowadays the only meat in mincemeat is the beef suet or fat found around the kidneys of cows, sheep or pigs. Read the label. You can buy it vegetarian style as well. The suet is usually substituted with palm oil. I make it without any oil at all.

Cookies

Because of the spices and the brandy contained in most recipes, mincemeat is better if the fruit is allowed to absorb these flavors over several days. Some recommend three days, while others feel two weeks is better. Just put it together and refrigerate it ahead of time, so you can make the cookies later.

Holiday Cookies - Recipe For Mincemeat Cookies

Double the following mincemeat recipe if you are making a pie. I prefer these bite-sized holiday cookies of stuffed pastry myself. It is a little work, because you have to roll the dough, but then you would roll the dough for a pie as well.

Peal, core and dice up a Granny Smith apple. Chop up and add ½ cup raisins and ¼ cup figs. Stir in ¼ cup of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon orange peel, 2 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon cloves. Add 2 tablespoons of brandy. You may also add ground walnuts if you like. I wait to see what the consistency is going to be and thicken with the nuts if necessary or thin with a little orange juice. You can add cranberries or dates also for variety. To blend or chop more finely (you will be using ½ teaspoons of this filling for the cookies) pulse everything in a food processor.

For the pastry, and trust me it is worth the effort, cream 6 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1 cup of softened real butter. (A less or low fat version of butter does not harden well enough to roll.) Cut in 2 cups of unbleached flour and 2 teaspoons of grated lemon or orange peel. You can use bleached flour, but it tends to be stickier when you roll it out. The dough will be crumbly; knead it until a smooth ball forms. Shape it into a rectangle, cover and refrigerate it until it is firm. An hour should do it. Flatten it more and it will not take as long to firm up.

Roll it out into a 17½ by 12½-inch rectangle and cut it into about 35, 2.5-inch squares. Roll it out on parchment paper for ease in transferring them to a cookie sheet. A pizza cutter works very well. Spoon a ½ teaspoon of the mincemeat into the center of each square. Fold the pastry over it to form a small rectangle and seal the 3 open edges firmly with a fork. If it is not firm enough, they will open while baking. Sprinkling with powdered sugar after they cool makes them look a bit more festive.

Bake these at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 to 16 minutes or until the edges are golden. Grease your cookie sheet or use parchment paper. You are going to love these. Do not forget to put a few of them aside as a reward for all your hard work. They melt in your mouth, and you will regret that you did not double the recipe. But then, you should have enough mincemeat to do just that.

Holiday Cookies - Recipe For Mincemeat Cookies

Copyright 2011 by Linda K. Murdock. Linda is the author of A Busy Cook's Guide to Flavor-Packed Cookies & Bars. This book includes 63 different flavors with a cookie and bar recipe for each flavor, including Eggnog Cookies, Lime (like key lime pie), Root Beer, Curry Pecan and others. Smaller recipes, easy instructions and readily available ingredients attract busy bakers, who prefer more flavor and less sugar in their desserts. To learn more go to http://bellwetherbooks.com

Swedish Christmas Cookies - A Recipe To Make Pepparkakor

Christmas is a special time in Scandinavia and Sweden in particular. Tradition and Heritage are extremely important to Swedish culture and there are many traditions which are widely upheld. In most traditional Swedish homes, the smell of home baked foods and desserts fill the air at Christmas time. The Swedes really love to cook and for many, the holiday season and the Christmas Eve celebration is the highlight of their year.

One recipe, which is very popular in Sweden, is for a cookie called the Pepparkakor.

Cookies

Pepparkakor, literally translated, means "pepper cookies" but I've yet to see a recipe that included any pepper. They are similar to the American gingersnap cookie but they are generally thinner, crisper and smoother in texture.

Swedish Christmas Cookies - A Recipe To Make Pepparkakor

Many refer to this cookie as a "ginger thin" and they are commonly called "gingernuts" in the United Kingdom. Besides their great taste, pepparkakor cookies are used as Christmas decorations as well. They are frequently shaped like little men or women, pigs, hearts or goats. If left round, they are decorated with frosting to give them more character.

Using a drinking straw, you can create a small hole in the pepparkakor cookie prior to baking. After the cookie has cooled, tie the cookie to the Christmas tree with a beautiful white or red colored ribbon.

Swedish Christmas Cookies or Pepparkakor

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies (depending on shape/size)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

8 ounces butter

2/3 cup water

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 egg

1 tablespoon light (or dark) corn syrup

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

Preparation:

The dough should be well-chilled before baking. You can either start a day early and chill overnight, or start preparing 1-2 hours before the cookies will be needed.

In a heavy pot, combine the molasses, sugars, spices and water. Turn the heat up and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring frequently.

Add the butter to the mixture (in pads or chunks) and remove the pot from the heat. Continue stirring the mixture until the butter has melted and the mixture is uniform in consistency. Pour the hot mixture into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine the flour, corn syrup, egg and baking soda and whisk until well-blended. Combine with the hot mixture and stir until the dough has formed. Place the dough on a lightly floured board and knead for 1-2 minutes. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill until the dough is firm (1-2 hours or overnight).

On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch in thickness (the thinner, the crisper) and either cut into shapes or make round cookies about 2 inches in diameter. Put the cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool.

About the only thing left to do is to enjoy these fabulous Swedish Christmas cookies with the ones you love... Enjoy!

Swedish Christmas Cookies - A Recipe To Make Pepparkakor

Holly Hallberg studied French and Art History at the Sorbonne and graduated from the American University of Paris. As a lover of modern Scandinavian design and architecture, Holly travels each year to find new Scandinavian Designers and the products they create.

For modern Scandinavian design objects, furniture, clothing and toys, visit her online store at: http://www.huset-shop.com

Strawberry Champagne Cake and Strawberry Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

For Easter I wanted to make a spectacular treat for my guests, and after careful contemplation I decided to make a Strawberry Champagne cake. I thought this was perfect for two reasons. First, it has been a long winter full of no fresh berries. The stores are replenishing their shelves with lush, ripe berries, and I want in! Secondly, I thought the strawberries mixed with champagne would be the perfect celebratory cake to eat when I watched Prince William and Princess Kate marry. Yes, I woke up at 4 am to watch the festivities, and yes, I ate strawberry champagne cake at 8 am! I had planned on having a glass of gorgeous pink strawberry flavored champagne along with my slice of cake, but, alas, I couldn't bring myself to do it so early in the day.

Anyway, I searched online and found a recipe that looked pretty good. And then I made it spectacular by adding my own special touches. I also have a favorite buttercream frosting recipe that I always use, and I used it for this cake, and added extra delicious ingredients. There is much debate when it comes to changing a recipe -- some are for it, and some are against it. I think it is essential to keep your liquid to dry ingredients about the same as it calls for in the recipe. But when it comes to adding fresh fruit, chocolate, nuts, I say knock yourself out! Eyeball it, make sure it looks (smells) right, and go to town. These small touches really make a recipe spectacular.

\"Decorated Cookies\"

To make the cake even more special I decided to add fresh strawberries and ganache to the center instead of just the strawberry buttercream frosting. This is a good idea in theory, however, I do not recommend using fresh fruit in a cake. I ended up having little streams pouring out of my cake, and I had a very sticky puddle on my cake platter. The sugar in the frosting brings out the juices in the fresh fruit. If you are intent on using fresh berries (as am I) I would recommend making a strawberry (or any other fruit or berry) sauce. This way you will still have the fresh ingredients without the sticky mess.

Strawberry Champagne Cake and Strawberry Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

The cake was a hit! My family loved it, and my uncle even said that it would have to be his next birthday cake (what a compliment!). I think of all the desserts I have made, this is a fan favorite.

Strawberry Champagne cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cup sugar
2 egg

3 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

½ cup champagne
½ cup pureed strawberries

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries

4 egg whites

Cream butter and sugar until light and smooth. Add the egg and mix until completely incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine and sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a dish combine the puree and champagne. Alternate adding the flour and strawberry mixtures to the butter mixture. Start and end with flour for a fluffy cake. Add the vanilla. Add the strawberries mixing until just incorporated. Fold in half the egg whites, then fold in the remainder.

I like to put the batter into a piping bag to fill the cupcake tins. Batter should reach just over ¾ of the tin.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter
1 package (2 pounds) powdered sugar
heaping 1/3 cup pureed strawberries
1 tsp vanilla
chocolate shavings for garnish

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. With continuous mixing, add a bit of the powdered sugar (add some of the strawberry puree if it gets too thick). Keep adding the sugar in small increments until completely blended with the butter. Add the remainder of the strawberry puree and the vanilla. If the frosting is still thick, add some champagne! Add chocolate shavings on top of the frosted cupcake for a decadent treat!

Happy baking!

Strawberry Champagne Cake and Strawberry Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

For a modified cupcake variation of this recipe see my website: http://bodhibaker.blogspot.com/2011/04/strawberry-champagne-cupcakes.html

See my website for other recipes: http://www.squidoo.com/bodhi-baker