Holiday Recipes

"Cook For Love" Gingerbread Cookies
Author: Brenda Winiarski
Prep Time: 45 Mins
Cook Time: 24 Mins
Ready in 1 Hr. 9 Mins

 

This gingerbread cookie recipe is perfect for making a low protein gingerbread house and gingerbread men. It is nice and stable, so little hands can decorate without worrying about a head falling off. The molasses binds so well that no egg is needed, so it is a very low and very delicious cookie. Use the royal icing recipe and your cookies will be nicer than those you can buy. Remember, you can make the dough in advance like the roll-out sugar cookies, and store in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. If you are making a gingerbread house or more intricate shapes like a snowflake, after you cut out the shapes, place the uncooked cookies in the fridge or freezer to firm up. You will get much sharper lines.

Ingredients:

  • 3 c Wheat Starch 24mg
  • 3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 TBSP Cinnamon, ground 9mg
  • 1 TBSP Ginger, ground 12mg
  • 1/4 tsp Cloves, ground 1mg
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 48 g Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding, dry mix only 20mg
  • 8 TBSP Butter, cut into 8½ inch pieces, at room temperature 48mg
  • 4 TBSP Vegetable Shortening, at room temperature
  • 3/4 c Dark Brown Sugar, packed 6mg
  • 9 TBSP Molasses

Instructions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine wheat starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and pudding mix, set aside.

2. In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter and shortening. Mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add the molasses, mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture forms a dough. The dough seems quite dry and crumbly at first. Give it three minutes to see if it comes together. If still too crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of water.

3. Divide the dough in half, placing each half in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. With the top unsealed, lightly roll the dough with a rolling pin to 1 inch thick. Refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20 to 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to a month; defrost in refrigerator before using.)

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 dough disk to even ⅛-inch thickness between 2 large sheets parchment paper; slide rolled dough on parchment onto baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with second disk.

5. Using cookie cutters, cut shapes from one piece of dough. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put in the fridge or freezer to firm up for 15 minutes. Meanwhile start rolling the second piece of dough. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to cookie rack and allow to cool completely.

7. Decorate with Royal Icing if desired.

"Cook For Love" Hot Cocoa Mix
Author: Brenda Winiarski
Prep Time: 5 Mins

 

This is a rich hot chocolate mix that the entire family loves. We love it with the So Delicious Coconut Beverage, but any non-dairy milk will work. We make little containers of it for Christmas gifts so that when we go to Granny or Grandma’s we can always have a cup of cocoa.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c Ghiradelli Sweet Ground Cocoa 394mg
  • 1 c CoffeeMate Powder, Original 60mg
  • 1 c Powdered sugar
  • 55 g Jello Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix 23mg
  • 1/2 tsp Salt

Instructions:

  1. Combine and store in air-tight container.
  2. To make hot cocoa: Add 8 to 16 gm (1 to 2 tablespoons) per cup of non-dairy milk.

 

Thank you to our sponsors that made this holiday gift possible!