Baking. Even the word itself holds an awesomeness comparable to the steam that rises from a fresh-from-the-oven muffin as it's broken in two or that first bite of Grandma's traditional holiday pie. It brings to mind warmth and joy and, of course, deliciousness.
I have always loved to share my baking with others - at the age of 10, I was already baking cakes for my classmates' birthdays, complete with whatever plastic decorations I could find, and I once made a model of the Opera House of Paris out of cake for a class project. Mind you, it wasn't particularly intricate and wouldn't win any awards for presentation, but I still maintain that it was a creative, and tasty, way to get an A.
As I got older, I discovered new groups of people with whom I could share my love - sometimes bordering on obsession - of making cookies and pies and muffins and cakes. One of those people, in fact, suggested this very blog. But it wasn't until recently that I began to take his suggestion seriously.
So here my journey begins, with the holiday season upon us and my inner baker no longer willing to have her cries squelched. I see many references to the Twelve Days of Christmas, but I am taking a slightly different approach: an Advent calendar of baking, 25 days with a new recipe (to me) for each day. (Since I'm starting a few days late, the first few days will have two recipes each.) So off I go! Iced Pumpkin Cookies and Gingerbread!
Recipe suggestions are always welcome. And be sure to leave comments below with some of your favorite holiday memories.
Sounds like a great Advent calendar. I love gingerbread cookies, especially when they are a bit softer as opposed to more of a ginger snap texture. I typically make them for Christmas by fiddling with a ginger snap recipe. Have you run across any good recipes for soft gingerbread cookies?
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Holley! I'm so happy to have you along on my delicious adventure.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried gingerbread cookies, but after my recent success with gingerbread cake, they're definitely going on the list! I, too, tend to prefer a softer/chewier cookie rather than a crispy one, and one way to help achieve this is to use the creaming method for combining the butter and the sugar rather than mixing the sugar with melted butter, for example. If you've never used the creaming method, or have never heard of it, the Pastry Chef Online (http://www.pastrychefonline.com/) has an excellent explanation in on of her blog posts (http://pastrychefonline.com/blog/2008/11/03/the-creaming-method/).
In the meantime, if I find any great recipes for soft gingerbread cookies, I'll be sure to let you know! Happy baking, and keep it up!