Gingerbread Cookies

SO IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS.

AND IT STILL HASN'T SNOWED AT MY HOUSE.

OOOUUUUTTTRAAAGGGGGEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm kind of frustrated with that, if you couldn't tell. What makes me super duper sad is that we didn't have snow for Christmas LAST year either!! SADS. SO MUCH SADS.

:(

Anyway, since it doesn't FEEL like Christmas, I thought that maybe some very Christmas-y cookies would get me more in the holiday spirit.

Also I had all of the ingredients for this on hand so I didn't have to put effort into going to the store.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES YEAH;

Ingredients

4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin spice

2 tsp ground ginger

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

1 egg

So for these cookies I used a stand mixer (thanks grandma for letting me borrow yours). You don't HAVE to use one, but it made it a lot easier.

Just a tip;

Make sure it's turned off before you plug it in. I got punched in the stomach by a mixing machine. 

Let's get started *cracks knuckles dramatically*.

First thing you're going to do is mix the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together in a big bowl. These are going to make a TON of cookies, FYI. So be prepared. 

Next put the sugar and butter in a bowl and cream them together.

Add the molasses and egg into the sugar and butter mixture. Be careful, I found out that molasses is a lot more runny than I thought it was. I may or may not have spilled a little.

Or a lot. Don't judge.

But seriously, am I the only one who thinks that that stuff looks like poison? 

I just want to point out that once this stuff is all mixed together it looks really weird.. Like a science experiment. Do not fret, it looks more edible once you put the flour mixture in. Which is what you're going to do next.

Mix it until it's just combined, then cover it and out it in the fridge for an hour. 

*One hour later*

*Hopefully you read that in the Spongebob voice*

OKAY. Preheat your oven to 350 and cover some baking sheets with wax paper. 

Get out that cookie dough. GENEROUSLY flour your countertop or table or floor or wherever you want to roll out these cookies. Also generously flour your rolling pin. 

Then start rolling the dough. I suggest doing it in sections. You'll want the cookies to be pretty thin, but it doesn't really matter how thick they are as long as they're not ridiculous. The thicker ones will take longer to cool.

Once they're rolled out, cut them into Christmas-y shapes. I chose cute little trees.

Put them on the baking sheets and put them in the oven for 10 minutes, and turn them at the 5 minute mark.

You won't get to see them decorated, maily because I'm an idiot. I tried to melt the fosting just a little to make it softer, but I overheated it and it melted.

Jeez, frosting. I only heated you for 45 seconds, no need to have a MELTDOWN.

(My sincerest apologies for that joke.)

 This is how many cookies I got out of this recipe. I know, that's a lot of cookies. Thankfully it's Christmas so I can dump some of these off to other people so it's their problem. 

YAY CHRISTMAS.

Simple, not too mess, and festive. Checkmate, Christmas.

MACKENZIE'S FIRST ANNUAL BAKING SPECTACULAR

GET PUMPED.

GET EXCITED.

YOU MIGHT AS WELL TAKE YOUR SOCKS OFF NOW BECAUSE THEY'LL BE KNOCKED OFF OF YOU IN A MINUTE ANYWAY.

BECAUSE IT'S TIME FOR MACKENZIE'S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BAKING SPECTACULAR!!!!!!

I am about to give not one, not two, but THREE recipes for things that every one will love. Seriously. Unless you have no soul, you will love these. 

SHALL WE BEGIN?

Let's start off with the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes;

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsps vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa

3/4 tsps baking soda

3/4 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsps salt

1/2 cup boiling water

This peanut butter frosting that will change your life;

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup peanut butter

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp milk

DIRECTIONS;

Go and get your butter. Put it on the counter and go occupy yourself for 30-45 minutes. I don't know, go watch Modern Family or something.

After that preheat your oven to 350 and get some bowls. A couple of them. Using a wooden spoon/spatula/utensil you're going to mix the sugar, egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. The best part about this recipe is that it's super simple. 

Next mix your dry ingredients together. Then add your mixed dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix well. 

Next your going to want to boil your water. Once it's boiling, add it to the mixture. Your batter is going to be very thin, but don't sweat it, yo (I can't think of anything really funny to say right meow) (oh wait I just said something kind of funny) (lol).

 

See? Very thin.

 

Get yourself some muffin cups and a muffin pan. Line the muffin pan with the muffin cups, then pour the batter in. Fill it about 2/3 of the way full, and then bake them for 25 minutes.

While that's going on, you can make this frosting. Warning; this frosting may cause you to:

-Faint

-Scream

-Cry

-Sing

-Dance

BECAUSE IT IS THAT GOOD.

Directions for le frosting;

Put your peanut butter in a bowl. Start adding the powdered sugar and milk a little at a time, until it's all mixed in.

PUT IT ON YOUR CUPCAKES.

Put a little Reese's cup on there for added fanciness. 

 DONE.

EAT IT NOW BEFORE YOUR FAMILY COMES HOME AND TAKES IT ALL.

Recipe #2

Crockpot Apple Butter

WHAT WHAT DELICIOUSNESS IN THE HOUSE.

What what 48 hours of hard work and 24 apples for one and a half small jars of apple butter also in the house. 

:(

It's still really good though. So I guess I'll give it to you. But I don't suggest making this unless the Apple King decided to give you a share of his fortune. 

Ingredients;

Like a ton of apples. I would say 12 really big ones or 24 small ones. I used small ones.

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tsps pumpkin spice

Also a crockpot

First you're going to peel and core the apples. 

Then, chop them up SUPER TINY. LIKE SUPER DUPER TINY.

Then mix the apples in the sugar and spices (that was really fun to say) and put it in the crockpot. Pour in the water, then turn your crockpot on high and leave it overnight. Then (and this worked best for me), prop the lid of the crockpot open with a wooden spoon and turn the crockpot on low for a few more hours.

Then, if you want it to be extra smooooooooth, put it in a blender and, you know, blend it for a minute. It's super delicious, but time consuming and takes a whole 'lotta apples. So if you happen to have a bunch of apples and you don't know what to do with them, this recipe is for you!

Recipe # 3

BANANA BREAD!

This recipe is for a MINI loaf of banana bread. For when, you know, you want banana bread,  but you just want like two slices. Not the whole loaf.

Yeah. Happens all the time.

Ingredients;

1 really ripe banana 

3 tbsp of butter at room temperature

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp honey

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup flour

1 tbsp wheat germ (new vocabulary word)

1/4 and 1/8 tsps baking soda

Directions;

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a really tiny bread pan. I don't have a teeny tiny bread pan, so I decided to make cupcakes instead and just greased some muffin cup liners.

Next you want to use a fork to mash your banana up. Mash that thing REALLY well. 

Then, add the butter, sugar, and honey to the banana and mix well. 

Stir in the egg yolk.

Add in the flour and wheat germ, and then the baking soda and salt.

Pour into your bread pan/muffin cups and bake for 37 minutes. 

VOILA! Delicious. 

These are some of the most delicious things I've ever made. No joke. REALLY super good.

Make them and eat them and thank me later.

Maple-y Yummy Bars of Goodness

I know, I know, I missed a week. My best friend took me to a surprise concert last Sunday, where I saw my future husband, Hunter Hayes.

Anyway, concert was awesome, but I missed a week. I have good news, though!!

I DIDN'T MESS THIS ONE UP!!!!!

I made this maple bar things the right way without somehow messing it up along the way!!! GO ME!

As I'm writing this the maple bars are cooling because I am irresponsible and busy (lazy). Usually I have about four or five recipes I've taken pictures of and done on hand to write my blog every week, but lately I've been super busy with school (Pinterest), and my friends (my dogs) have been wanting to hang out with me a bunch lately. 

So again, I apologize.

ON WITH THE FESTIVITIES.

What you need for deliciousness;

FOR THE BREAD STUFF

1 1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup shortening

2 tbsp graulated sugar

2 tsps salt

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 (1/4) envelopes yeast

2 eggs

4 cups flour

as much cinnamon as your heart desires

FOR THE CREAMY STUFF THAT GOES ON TOP OF THE BREAD STUFF

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

Tentatively 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsps syrup if you have it (I didn't, it didn't really matter)

So, first thing we're going to work on is the bread. What you're going to do is get a suacepan and pour the milk into it. "Scald" the milk (if you're in on the baking lingo, which I'm not, you'll know what that means), and I'm supposing tis is fancy speak for get the milk hot. Really hot. I figured it was ready when this started happening;

So if you stick your spoon in it and that happens, you know it's ready.

After you "scald" the milk, add the shortening, 3 tbsp granulated sugar, and salt. Mix it together in the saucepan and then set it aside until it's lukewarm.

Now take your yeast and lukewarm water and mix those together in a different bowl. Make sure the water is not hot or else it will kill the yeast, and then you're left with a mess. Add 1 tbsp of granulated sugar to the yeast water and mix t until well combined. Then set it aside for five minutes or so. 

While that's happening mix the flour and cinnamon together in a big bowl. I used a lot of cinnamon partly because I like cinnamon and partly because the cinnamon container fell out of my hand and into the bowl. But the recipe called for 2 tsps.

After mixing the cinnamon and flour together add two beaten eggs to the yeast and water.

Once the milk/shortening/sugar/salt stuff is cool mix it with the yeast/water/egg stuff until it's well combined. Then you can add the flour/cinnamon slowly. 

While mixing the flour stuff with everything else you may find that a whisk will not work anymore. This is when you must bring in some elbow grease.

START KNEADING THAT PUPPY WITH YOUR HANDS.

(Just kidding, no puppies were harmed in the making of these maple bars.)

That will take a while. A little tip I shall share with you is to break it into smaller junks and knead it. Then when all of the smaller junks are knead you can knead them together. 

If it seems too sticky to knead, add some more flour. But you still want it to be a little bit sticky.

Once you have kneaded all of the smaller junks together, knead it for 3-5 minutes, then spray a bowl with non-stick spray and put the now-kneaded dough in the bowl. Let it sit for an hour on the counter.

Wow. I said the word 'knead' a lot in that section.

 *1 hour later*

Now roll the dough out on the counter with a rolling pin until it's about one inch thick. Then cut it (I suggest with a pizza cutter) into sections. It doesn't really matter how big it what shape the chunks are. I just cut mine into squares.

Spray a cookie sheet or two with non-stick spray and put your chunks onto it. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for half an hour, as you make the frosting stuff that goes on top.

FROSTING STUFF;

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees in the meantime.

In a suace pan, mix the butter, milk, and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Once it's at a boil, turn it down to a simmer and simmer it for 3 minutes. Then turn your stove off and let it stand for 15 minutes.

After that you can add the powdered sugar and maple syrup. I might have barely gotten a cup of powdered sugar in there, because I ran out, so if you don't want to add the 1/2 cup that was left you don't have to. 

The recipe said you needed something called "mapeline", but I didn't even know that was a thing. I was just going to use syrup, until I saw that we didn't have any. Whatevs. I didn't see a difference.

Once the dough has sat for 30 minutes and your oven is preheated and ready, put the bars in for 7-8 minutes. Once they're done, let them cool for a few minutes and put the frosting on them.

They should look as awesome as this.

Oh my goodness, yum. 

How can they NOT taste good!?!