Recipe Tutorial: Gingerbread Cookies (The Whole Grain Version)

Lisa Lancaster, owner of Baked in Maine based in Hallowell, Maine, shares some delicious and mouth-watering recipes on her blog and her facebook page. The recipes are easy to follow with gorgeous photographs. If you're not the baking type or simply don't have time then visit her Etsy shop and purchase your favorite baked goods made fresh for your order. There you'll find everything from Red Velvet Whoopie Pies to Italian Amaretto Biscotti and more. And don't forget to follow her on Twitter!

Today she shares with us her recipe for Whole Grain Gingerbread Cookies just in time for the holidays! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 lb unsalted butter or Smart Balance
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup molasses

Icing:

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1 teaspoon of corn syrup, to harden it up (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon almond, my fav. (optional)
• *1 bag of Red Hot’s, raisins or whatever… (decorations)

Directions:

Prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment or cooking spray.

1. Using your mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and molasses.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients; and add to the mixer with a large spoon, mixing well.
3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 2 hours.
4. Roll the dough out on a floured surface (try to use as little flour as possible) to about 1/8″ thick. Using a large cookie cutter (I use a 3 1/2″ gingerbread man), cut out cookies, and place on cookie sheets. Roll out dough scraps and repeat, be careful not to overwork the dough.
5. Bake @ 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown slightly. Remove cookie sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the sheet before carefully removing them to cool on a wire rack before decorating.
6. Mix up the icing with a whisk (or mixer). Use a pastry bag or a plastic baggie with a tiny tip of the corner snipped off.
7. Decorate with icing, raisins and Red Hots. Or use whatever you like.
8. * 1 tablespoon of meringue powder or egg whites will make a firm “Royal Icing”

Have fun!

To order Gingerbread Cookies from Baked in Maine:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/36606819/holiday-gingerbread-christmas-cookies-by

And check out her Tote Bag Giveaway offer, too!

Just listed! Hula Hoop making class!!!

Hula Hoop Crafting
Wednesday July 22nd, 6pm - 8pm

Come join us and make your own personalized hoop to use for fun and exercise! Hula hooping is national past time that is great for young and old. All supplies will be provided (included in the supply fee) and you can decorate your hoop with many colors of tape and even sparkly tape too. Open to all ages, great family activity!

$25 per person ($15 class fee plus $10 supply fee payable to instructor)

Instructor: Linda "Lizzy" Kennedy aka Lizzyoos, and Kyndmamma, lives in the woods of Maine. She has two grown sons and a granddaughter. She is a Tie Dye professional, a music lover, promoter, Radio Dj (wmhb.org), Homegrown Network Rep, an original Phunky Bitch. She spends her days dying new projects, making jewelry, hula hoops, reviewing music, and just enjoying nature. You can find her on the Maine music scene and at many of the summer festivals vending as Lizzyoos. Check out Lizzyoos.net

Registration deadline: Monday July 20th!

Maple Syrup Sunday

March 22nd was a nice crisp end of Winter day for Maple Syrup Sunday!  Each year, we're visiting a different local producer of pure maple syrup-- this year we took a tour of Sugar Brook Maple Farm in Mt Vernon.

I thoroughly enjoyed the vanilla ice cream with hot maple syrup and Joy & Brian had some baked beans with hot dogs and maple syrup.  Yum! 

We were completely amazed at all the hard work and dedication that it takes to produce maple syrup and run a syrup business.  Especially in a year like this when the weather was teasing us, it's hard to rely on Mother Nature.  You can never count on how much syrup you'll get but when you do get it...how sweet it is!

SUGAR BROOK MAPLE FARM

Mt. Vernon: From West Mt. Vernon Chimney Route 41. Approximately 3 miles from the West Mt Chimney right on Blake Hill Road 3/10 of a mile on the left

Phone: 207-293-2831

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Cupcakes!

Tuesday night we had a craft night for our Etsy Maine Team members and had such a blast! Drea made YUMMY cupcakes that spelled out "Sweetland"!!! Can you believe it? It was such a *sweet* surprise (pun intended).

In attendance was Peggy, Jenn, Kim, Drea, Joy, and I. We ate way too much food, as usual for craft night, and gabbed it up a good bit. There was also singing and Jumbones involved (for Sammy, of course). Wish we could host craft night every night!!!

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