I suppose I should work another Christmas cookie recipe into my blog…if I am going to get my all of my favorites to you in time for holiday baking.
I love the Christmas season. For me it starts around the middle of November…all the planning for Thanksgiving is the beginning of it all. Two magical holidays tied together with weeks of fun and work!
There are several kinds of cookies that simply scream “CHRISTMAS!” One of these is a Gingersnap. Cold weather seems to bring out the desire for warm spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and of course, ginger. Gingersnap Cookies are a highly addictive, sugar coated cookie that gets its chewy texture and spicy flavor from adding brown sugar, molasses, and ground spices (cinnamon, ginger and cloves) to the batter. It is believed the Gingersnap originated in Germany, which sounds logical, considering the spices.
I haven’t made gingerbread men in years, but I do make gingersnaps for events I cater during the holidays. I should take this opportunity to tell you I use a small ice cream scoop, made of stainless steel, for shaping many of my cookies. The perfect size for cookies is a #40, or one that is about 1 ½” in diameter, holds approximately 4 teaspoons of liquid. Both my gingersnaps and sugar cookies are shaped with this scoop. I drop the dough from the scoop directly into a bowl of sugar. I roll them in the sugar, and then place them on the baking sheet. This simple action saves you so much time and your cookies are of uniform size. When each cookie is made from the same amount of dough, the baking time is consistent.
I hope you enjoy them! By the way, ginger is wonderful for settling the stomach, relieves nausea.

Gingersnaps
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add molasses
and egg; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger. Beat until
well mixed. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

Even though these cookies have been rolled in sugar before baking, during the holidays, I pipe a group of 3 holly leaves with green buttercream icing, followed by 3 little dots of red buttercream on top of each cookie. Very festive!

I feel so fortunate to have Annie Cassidy and her wonderful chickens as my friends! I baked chocolate chip cookies for my grandson, Bing, last night (we were hanging out watching Spider Man) and I used Annie's eggs. The cookie dough was not the usual brown, but a beautiful deep golden color! Farm fresh eggs make such a difference in everything you bake and cook. If you have a source, keep it close to you!

Another thing I get through Annie is fresh goat's milk....right out of the goat! It is, of course, unpasteurized, and rich. I used it to make my homemade ricotta cheese, now I am going to use it for homemade goat cheese. I've never made goat cheese, so I am looking forward to it. I have a recipe for Marinated Cherry Peppers Stuffed with Homemade Goat Cheese, and it sounds like something I need for my Antipasto Trays when I cater cocktail parties!

I'll keep good notes and take photos during the process so I can let you know how it turned out.



Speaking of catering, that busy season is fast approaching. I've had calls already for Holiday Parties, but as I have said, I am trying to retire! The funny thing is, when I get these phone calls, it is impossible for me to say "No Thank You, I'm sorry, but I have retired"! Instead, I grab my calendar. I guess I'm not retired! Maybe next year.



Today is a beautiful day here in the Kansas City area! It has been so gray and cloudy for so many days that the bright sunlight almost hurts my eyes! I am headed to the vineyard to help, it should be a very busy, fun day in the tasting room. I think I will take my camera, the trees are so beautiful now. I think I need some photos of Wea Creek in the Autumn.



Speaking of fresh eggs and homemade ricotta, here is a Martha Stewart recipe that is so good on a Sunday morning, or a Sunday evening dinner.



Orange Ricotta Pancakes

Serves 4
1 3/4 cups (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated orange zest (1 orange)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons canola oil
Confectioners' sugar, or maple syrup
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, and 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (1 orange). Whisk in 2/3 cup all-purpose flour until just combined.
Heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Working in batches (and adding more oil to skillet as needed), add batter, using a scant 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Serve hot, dusted with confectioners' sugar or drizzled with maple syrup.

I think a nice warm stack of these pancakes, drizzled with melted butter and warm maple syrup, paired with some panfried ham steaks or sausages would be absolutely perfect for dinner tonight! I always did prefer breakfast in the evening. And, I can always count on Martha!