Today is a special day - it marks the day 14 years ago that I first kissed my beau.... On the evening of November 25, 1999, I went to Christian's house for a big Thanksgiving dinner with friends, roommates, and strangers because he did not go home to Louisiana (I believe this would be the equivalent of nowadays 'Friendsgiving', although that word had not been coined yet I suppose). I helped out in the kitchen alongside many others and the end result was a really nice dinner, having drinks with great people, acting very silly, and making friendships that have lasted to this day. I was so thankful to have celebrated Thanksgiving with Christian then and am so very thankful now that he has stuck around all these years. We are both perfect for each other - we both have our flaws, are stubborn as hell, and we would argue with dead men... BUT we also know at the end of the day, we are both on the same team. I couldn't have picked a more perfect partner. That being said, we discovered shortly after meeting that we shared a very strong passion for all things Christmas. Christmas music, Christmas trees, decorations, lights, presents, traditions, treats, etc. This brings me to my next point....
I am getting really excited for the holidays - I even pulled out the ol' "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and had it on for everyone at work today!! The weather is really turning cold and it makes me want to warm up the kitchen with yummy smells of gingerbread, cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar....ahh... you with me here? Time to pull out the Christmas records, do a little baking, and spread a little Christmas cheer!
Last year I made the most delicious soft baked ginger cookies and several people asked me for the recipe, so here it is folks! First off, let me say that the last year and a half, I have been avoiding gluten when preparing my own food and these cookies are gluten free and ahhhhhhMAZINGly delish.
INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS FOR THE MOST AMAZING SOFT BAKED GINGER SNAPS:
2 1/3 C Namaste GF (gluten free) Biscuit, Pie crust, & more mix (can be found at Fresh Market)
1 C packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 C molasses
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
13 Tb butter at room temp (this is 1 1/2 sticks plus an extra tablespoon)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
some granulated sugar for top of cookies.
Mix butter and brown sugar with mixer until fluffy-ish.
Add molasses, egg, and vinegar and mix until smooth, about a minute.
Combine the rest of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and kind of mix with a fork until all blended - Namaste mix, baking soda, baking powder, ground cloves, ginger, cinnamon, & salt.
Add dry mixture to butter/brown sugar mixture little by little until all mixed together, then cover bowl and let sit in the fridge for about an hour.
After an hour of chilling dough, preheat oven to 375 and form dough into small balls not quite an inch in diameter and press in granulated sugar before placing on parchment paper on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 6 to 7 minutes and let cool on cookie sheet before moving.
There you have it - they are pretty easy to make and the house smells soooooooo goood and Christmassy! Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe!
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