These chewy ginger molasses cookies feel like a warm bite of the season, a way to savor the best of this time of year. The spices are so fragrant, they transform the baking process into a grounding exercise. In the spirit of savoring the season with each bite, I paused to reflect on my fall thus far, to appreciate the many moments I want to remember when life feels like it's moving too quickly.
Head to your local scoop shop or freezer section, browse, buy, return home, then pop these bad boys in your toaster oven to get the chocolate nice and melty. Serve with a scoop of ice cream, and a rocks glass of brown drink. That, my friends, is how you end a day!
"While your desire for romance is on the low side, those who are most likely to win you over are sensitive, cooperative, caring types who wouldn't bat an eye if you demanded their dessert to fulfill your progesterone-fueled food cravings." IE: GIVE ME ALL YOUR COOKIES!!
If there's one silver lining to social distancing, it's a very stripped-back, honest look at time and fulfillment. How often do I turn to Netflix aimlessly? How often do I pick up my phone to fill a void of companionship? How could I fill my life with more joyful creation... and more cookies!
This “everything cookie” is my solution to analysis paralysis. It’s all three of the classic flavors in one cookie, with an added buckwheat crunch. Now, you don’t have to choose, and you can also feel good about eating this cookie as it’s lightly sweetened and high in fiber and protein.
Adapted somewhat by pantry necessity and by a grainy curiosity from Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook. The original recipe comes from Avery Ruzicka, the baker behind Manresa Bread in California, and the result is a recipe with careful and precise instructions that yields the most fragrant, gooey cookies. I'm not one for superlatives in blogging & baking, but these are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made!
Whenever I plan gatherings, I choose to invest more time in one (or at least I *try* to invest in only one) menu item. This winter, I had been craving the flavors and simple beauty of Whole Grain Linzer Cookies, or Helle Linzer Plaetzchen if you fancy the German title. Named for the Austrian Linzer Torte, a latticed pastry with jam filling, these buttery shortbread cookies and peeks of jam feel like little ornaments. In the vein of European traditions, I chose a Swedish lingonberry jam for a burst of red filling (and because I dream of participating in a St. Lucia celebration someday!).
You could think of this whole grain Gingerbread Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Gingerbread Twigs as too involved, or you could think of it as an excuse to spend a day in the kitchen, mull some wine, sip said wine, light the pine-scented candles and embrace the winter spirit.