I’m baaaaack! My time in the midwest was fantastic! It’s hard to believe that I was there and am back already, but I had so much fun visiting family and friends. This 4-day weekend that is now here should help me get our house back in order, relax, and get some shopping done. Tax season is fast approaching, so I will make sure to really enjoy this weekend off!
I want to sneak in one more Christmas cookie recipe…I meant to post it before Christmas, but time slipped away from me. It’s too good to not share. It’s one of my staple Christmas cookie recipes! Gingerbread boys that are soft, spice-filled, and a must this time of year.
Gingerbread Boys and Girls Print Recipe Here
From: Paula Deen
Yields: 18 to 24 regular sized cookies, at least 48 mini cookies
Total Time: 2 hours (Prep Time: 30 minutes, Inactive Prep: 1 hour 20 minutes, Cook: 10 minutes)
Ingredients
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Food coloring, as desired
Directions
Sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Cream together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer on low-speed. Once combined, add eggs and molasses and mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stir together with a spoon until combined. The dough will be thick, this will make rolling out the cookies easier. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
Take a 1/2 cup chunk of dough and roll it onto a floured surface until the dough is about 1/8-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out your cookies. Continue to add about 1/2 cup portions of dough to the scraps and cut out cookies until the dough is all gone. Place the cookies on your prepared baking sheets.
Transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. The cookies are ready when the edges are just starting to brown. Allow the cookies to cool for about a minute on the baking sheets and then transfer to cooling racks. Cool completely.
If you are decorating the cookies, prepare your icing while the cookies cool. Combine the powdered sugar and milk. Color the icing if you wish. Pipe the icing onto the cookies to decorate.
***I chose to not ice the cookies, instead I served them with a cheesecake dip.
Enjoy!
Thanks for letting me slip that recipe in with Friday Favorites. After a week off last Friday, Friday Favorites returns! Please enjoy my favorite things from around the web in this week’s Friday Favorites!
***click on the red text to be led to the source of my favorites
Favorite Breakfast: Nutella Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze. How could these be anything less than amazing?
Favorite Hair Accessory: DIY Criss-cross Headband. Ridiculously simple! And think of all of the possible fabric choices!!!
Favorite Mussels: Steamed Mussels in White Wine with Fennel. If you haven’t tried mussels before, make sure you do in the new year. I just love how beautiful and aromatic a big bowl of mussels can be. Mmmmm.
Favorite 2013 Project: Fill a mason jar with your favorite memories, experiences, funny quotes, etc throughout the year. Next New Years Eve, read them aloud to relive the year that has passed. Love!
Favorite Macarons: Smores Macarons. Anything involving Smores is immediately a favorite of mine.
Favorite Vase: Another mason jar project (I just can’t help it!). Spray paint a mason jar in gold paint for a festive New Years Eve vase.
Favorite Snack: Tiny Peanut Butter (No Bake) Energy Bites. My sister, Jennifer, made something similar to these when I was back for Christmas…I LOVED them! Need to make some for myself now!
Favorite New Years Eve Treats: New Years Eve Treat Poppers made out of cardboard tubes (from TP, paper towels, or wrapping paper tubes) and decorative paper. Fill them with candy or confetti for a fun NYE treat.
Favorite Appetizer: Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip. I plan on eating a lot of appetizers over the New Years holiday and this spin/choke dip looks like a must!
Favorite Polish: OPI 18K Gold The Man with the Golden Gun polish. You heard me, 18K Gold nail polish (it’s a top coat with flecks of gold sprinkled about). My sister, Shannon, gifted this to my mom for Christmas…I’ve seen it in person people. It’s exciting stuff, I tell you.
Favorite Cookies: Cashew Butter Balls. Don’t these just look melt in your mouth delicious?
Favorite Fashion: Vintage Doll Peter Pan Collar Lace Top in Cream. Simply gorgeous.
Favorite Jam: Bacon Jam. You had me at bacon.
Favorite Weekend Plan: Date night with Josh at the Buckhorn Exchange! The Buckhorn is Denver’s oldest restaurant and we’re finally going to check it out. I’m looking forward to a weekend with my husband. 🙂
Favorite Truffles: Gingerbread Cookie Dough Truffles. Just in case you’re like me and still haven’t had your fill of gingerbread.
Favorite Organization Idea: After digging through massive piles of wrapping paper and ribbons this month, I’ve realized I need a better way to organize my wrapping items. This idea for turning a nook into a wrapping paper organization station is fantastic!
Favorite (Healthy) Meal: Spaghetti Squash Boats. Spaghetti Squash is all the rage, I hear. From the looks of this picture, I can see why…
Favorite Bread: Brioche. This recipe looks relatively easy. Homemade Brioche for French Toast sounds pretty fabulous right now.
Favorite Act of Kindness: In the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, CT, I have struggled to understand how something like this could happen. Upon reading about Ann Curry’s 26 acts of kindness, I felt hope. As we mourn the loss of life, we recognize how precious every moment is. What can I do to make the world a better place? How can I show people that I care about them? By pledging to show kindness through action, perhaps we can all heal together.
What an awesome post! The brioche, the cream colored dress, the food you linked – and thanks for including my Nutella Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze. Happy 2013 to you!
Thank you! I can’t wait to try those cinnamon rolls…Nutella makes everything better. Happy New Year to you!
Thanks so much for including me! I feel ridiculously honored to be featured with so many of my favorite blogs!!
You’re welcome! Your spaghetti squash looks amazing!