Christmas Cookies

This is a great sugar cookie recipe for Christmas cookies or other sugar cookies.  Pictured here are assorted Christmas cookies, Easter cookies, and cookies used as wedding favors.  They are all the same recipe, which is really simple, but it does require an investment of some equipment.  You will need:

A rolling pin

A silpat mat to roll the dough on

Cookie cutters

A piping set (tips, bags, and couplers)

Royal icing mix (or make your own)

Gel coloring 

All of these things can be purchased at a cake supply store, some art supply stores, or online at amazon.com (click on the links above).

Pear Ginger Muffins

I had a good amount of crystallized ginger left over from the apricot-ginger mini scones I made last month, so I decided to try this recipe.  I like the options it gives for varying a lot of the ingredients: fresh or canned pears, whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour, canola oil or butter (or both), and varying the amount of sugar.

I used fresh pears, whole wheat pastry flour, organic canola oil, and just 1/3 cup sugar so they are on the healthier side and not too sweet.  They are just right for breakfast or a snack with tea.

Pumpkin Date Bread

Pumpkin date bread leaves pumpkin chocolate chip bread in the dust.  When dates are at their best they are super sweet and mushy like candy, but it's not always easy to find great dates even though they are available year round.  Look for medjool dates with pits.  They should be soft and plump, with very thin skins that are not overly shriveled or wrinkly.  If you find good ones, buy extra to have around for snacking!  Dates will keep in the pantry for a couple of months or in the refrigerator for up to a year.

This bread can be made in mini loaves and wrapped up for the perfect end-of-the-year gift for teachers, or include them in hospitality bags for a spring wedding.  Loaves can be made well in advance and frozen.

Pecan-Oat Whole Wheat Muffins

A small, healthy muffin is the perfect snack for a busy day.  I like to make them in large batches once or twice a month to store individually wrapped in the freezer.  Then they can be defrosted in ten seconds in the microwave for a quick breakfast or a snack with tea, or take one out in the morning and it will be defrosted in time for a snack with lunch or a quick bite in the afternoon.

These pecan-oat whole wheat muffins are great because they are not too sweet so you can really enjoy the flavors of the roasted oats and pecans.  Give yourself about 20-30 minutes to prepare the batter and then 15 minutes for baking.  In 45 minutes or less you'll have an inexpensive and healthy snack to last for the whole month!

Apricot-Ginger Whole Wheat Mini Scones

The combination of apricot and ginger works great in these scones, but they can easily be varied, too.  Try blueberries topped with turbinado sugar, currants with orange zest, or make your own!

Crystallized ginger looks like sugared candy and is usually located in the dried fruits and nuts section in specialty or gourmet food stores.  If you can't find it or would like to try making your own, click here for the recipe.  Crystallized ginger can be stored in its container in a cool, dark place for three months.

Carrot Spice Muffins

This is the re-mix of Lena's Favorite Blueberry Muffins that I posted last month.  The "spice" comes from a combination of cinnamon, all-spice, and ground cloves.  They are extra moist from mashed bananas, which could be substituted for apple sauce.  Optional additions include raisins, pecans, or walnuts.

We've become kind of dependent on having individually wrapped muffins in the freezer, so I have lots of opportunities to experiment with different types of muffins!  I made three dozen of these so hopefully that will last at least a few weeks.

Gluten-Free Quick Bread with Walnuts

Yesterday I had planned to make a quick bread recipe that a reader submitted as a comment to Whole Wheat Nutty Quick Bread post.  But when I got to the grocery store there was no whole wheat pastry flour.  Yes, I could have walked two blocks to the next grocery store or just used regular whole wheat flour, but instead I was tempted by a gluten-free garbanzo-fava flour.  PJ has considered going off gluten, and even though he has not committed fully to it yet I thought that having a really good gluten-free loaf might make it seem less scary!

Design-Your-Own Whole Wheat Muffins

Schools were closed again today for a snow day, giving me time to blog about these delicious muffins!  The recipe is a basic whole wheat muffin, but the beauty is that you can completely customize them by adding your favorite fruits, mashed vegetables, nuts, or seeds.

I made a double recipe so we can keep some in the freezer.  For the first batch I made banana walnut and for the second sweet potato with cardamom.  PJ liked the banana better and I liked the sweet potato, but they are both really good.

Baking and banking on a SNOW DAY!! With a recipe for All-Bran Strawberry-Banana Muffins

It's a SNOW DAY!!  PJ and I are both off from work so I have the whole day to do a little banking and baking.  First, to the bank where we deposited almost $100 in coins that have building up over the years!

How do you all handle your extra change?  Not to be pretentious, but I don't personally have an extra change problem.  Whenever I buy something I pay in cash and try to give exact change, and it seems to work out pretty well for me.  PJ, however, doesn't have a devoted space in his wallet for change so first it piles up in his pockets, then it begins to spill out piece by piece onto the floor, and finally it is gathered up and thrown into an electric change machine that I bought him a few years ago.  The change machine puts it into the paper rolls and then we bring it to the bank, which probably only happens once every year or two.  I guess it's working out okay, but I'm curious to know if anyone else has a better system?

Lena's Favorite Blueberry All-Bran Muffins

Lena is my beet-loving sister who inspired the golden beet and trout appetizer (posted below) that I made in honor of her engagement to her loving fiance, Matthew.  Since the engagement which was only a few months ago, she has proven to be an excellent bride-to-be in my opinion.  The wedding isn't until August but she already has inspiration for all kinds of good wedding things like colors, jewelry, invitations, and shoes.  Did I mention that I am carrying the important title of Matron of Honor for this wedding?  I may not have, since I tend to be pretty modest about it, but it's true!  Lena at first suggested we go with Person of Honor as my title, which to me sounds more like an award for someone who survived as a POW or took a bullet to save her platoon.  I don't know, maybe she thought matron was unflattering for a pretty young thing like me, or maybe she didn't like the idea of my tending to her at every moment (which I plan to do, btw), but I think I pull it off nicely so MOH it is. 

Whole Wheat Nutty Quick Bread

Here is the recipe for the bread that I suggested you serve with the Comforting Corn Chowder, posted below.  I've tried all different kinds of bread baking techniques and currently this is my favorite.  Why even bother with yeast breads when you can make this quick bread in an hour?  A quick bread does not use any yeast, relying instead on baking powder and soda for leavening.  So that means no kneading AND no waiting.  It's a little sweeter than you'd want for a sandwich bread, but it is amazing with soup or for a snack.  I make a double recipe, leave half of one loaf out to eat fresh, and then cut up the rest into slices and freeze them individually wrapped to bring for snacks at work.  The following recipe makes one medium-sized loaf, but feel free to double them.