SNEAK IT IN POWER MUFFINS

 

EMPIRE STATE MUFFINS

(Taste of Home...Beverly Collins)

 

2 CUPS SHREDDED UNPEELED APPLES

1 1/3 CUPS SUGAR

1 CUP CHOPPED CRANBERRIES

1 CUP SHREDDED CARROTS

1 CUP CHOPPED WALNUTS

2 ½ CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

1 TBSP BAKING POWDER

2 TSP BAKING SODA

½ TEASPOON SALT

2 TSP GROUND CINNAMON

2 EGGS, SLIGHTLY BEATEN

½ CUP VEGETABLE OIL

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples and sugar.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

To the dry ingredients add the cranberries, carrots and walnuts.

Add the apple/sugar mixture and mix well to combine.

In a small bowl, mix the eggs and oil.

Stir eggs and oil into the batter.

Fill about 18 greased muffin tins 2/3 full.

Bake at 375 F for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick tests done.

Cool about five minutes before removing muffins.

 

  

MORNING GLORY MUFFINS

(Taste of Home...Paddy Webber)

 

2 CUPS FLOUR

1 ¼ CUPS SUGAR

2 TSP BAKING SODA

2 TSP CINNAMON

½ TSP SALT

2 CUPS SHREDDED CARROT

½ CUP RAISINS

½ CUP SHREDDED COCONUT

½ CHOPPED PECANS

3 EGGS

1 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1 CUP SHREDDED UNPEELED APPLE

2 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Stir in the carrots, raisins, coconut and pecans.

In another bowl, combine eggs, oil, apples and vanilla.

Add to flour mixture.

Stir only until combined.

Fill about 18 greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 350 F for 15 – 20 minutes

 

 

 

Oat-Hemp-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies.....So Good

Whether you just have to include chocolate in your cookies or simply want the treat to at least be a little bit healthy to make it worth the indulgence, this recipe is a winner. Ideal for those milk and cookie after school snacks, coffee breaks, holiday cookie exchanges or gift ideas. They freeze well too!

Taken from Taste Of Home magazine, contributed by Jaymie Noble of Michigan, this recipe just has one alteration which is the addition of hemp seeds.

OAT-RAGEOUS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup oats or oatmeal

1/4 cup hemp seeds

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups or 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar

Beat in the eggs and vanilla

In another bowl, combine the flour, oats, hemp seed, baking soda and salt. 

Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well

Stir in the chocolate chips

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets

Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes till lightly browned 

Cool a bit before removing to wire racks so they don't fall apart

Makes about 4 dozen

ENJOY

Holiday Quick Breads, Entertaining, Gifts

Home baked goods are always welcome on any party table or in a gift basket. Recipients of such thoughtful offerings just know a little touch of love is sprinkled into every batch.

Pumpkins, apples, dates, nuts and cranberries are tradition in holiday festivities and what better and easier way to use them than for quick breads. Below are the recipes for an apple bread, a pumpkin cranberry bread, a date/nut bread and a cranberry orange bread. Quick breads freeze well so you can get some holiday baking done early.

APPLE BREAD

3 cups chopped apples

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup chopped nuts or 1 cup rolled oats

2 tsp vanilla

You'll need two bowls

Peel and chop the apples

Combine the apples and sugar

Let sit for 30 minutes

Add the oil and eggs

Beat well

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients

Stir in the nuts (or oats) and vanilla

Dip into 2 greased loaf pans

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes

Cool before removing from pans

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD

3 cups sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

4 cups flour

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

2 cups pumpkin

4 eggs

2 cups dried cranberries

You'll need a large bowl

Combine the dry ingredients and sift well to blend

Add the oil, water, pumpkin and eggs and mix thoroughly

Fold in the dried cranberries

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans

Bake at 325 degrees for 60 - 70 minutes

Cool before removing from pans

DATE NUT BREAD

2 cups chopped dates

2 cups boiling water

2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

You'll need three bowls

Pour boiling water over dates and baking soda

Set aside

Beat eggs and sugar

Blend in the oil and vanilla

Combine the flour and baking powder

Add dry ingredients alternately with the date mixture to the batter

Fold in the nuts

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes

Cool before removing from pans

CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD

2 cups sugar

4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking soda

2 tbsp grated orange rind

2 beaten eggs

4 tbsp melted butter

1 cup orange juice

4 tbsp hot water

1 1/2 cup chopped nuts or raisins

2 cups cut up cranberries

You'll need one large bowl

Combine the dry ingredients

Make a hole in the center and add the eggs and wet ingredients

Blend well

Fold in the nuts (or raisins) and the cranberries

Pour into two greased loaf pans

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes

Cool before removing from pans

CRANBERRY PUMPKIN COOKIES, ENERGY BOOST BITES

This little cookie nugget is the perfect grab and go morning meal for those who say they just don't have time for breakfast. Loaded with hearty ingredients that will hold you over without the empty calories of typical baked goods.

The prep time on the recipe said 10 minutes, but it took me 15 minutes just to gather together all the ingredients! With 14 ingredients your counter will be crowded but what a win win for a cookie. There is oat flour rather than wheat. There is only a fraction of the usual sugar called for and the type used is brown sugar rather than white. There is no added fat such as unhealthy shortening. The fat comes from peanut butter and needed moisture comes from pumpkin. Rolled oats help hold it all together and additional taste and sweetness come from dried cranberries and coconut.

Basically, this sounds like a granola shaped into a more portable form. Not sweet at all, it is still tasty and delicious, great with milk or coffee. Perfect for morning but also wonderful for the lunchbox or after school snack

These cookies are chewy rather than crispy. They freeze well and are good warmed up, still half frozen or room temperature from the cookie jar.

CRANBERRY PUMPKIN BREAKFAST COOKIES

By Sarah@The Gold Lining Girl

1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup oat flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the above dry ingredients

1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1/4 cup melted peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

In another bowl, whisk together the above wet ingredients

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Fold in the nuts, coconut and cranberries

Drop by spoonfuls onto either parchment lined or greased baking sheets

Bake at 350 degrees

10 minutes for small cookies or 12 - 14 minutes for large cookies

Cookies are ready when lightly browned

Remove to wire racks to cool

Store in a cool, airtight container

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

If you like your chocolate chip cookies soft yet chewy than this recipe just may replace your old favorite. The recipe came from The Ladies Corner and they even let us in on the secret behind these cookies. It's something as simple as the amount of salt that is added, leaving out an egg white and a lower oven temperature.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set this bowl aside.

3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened or almost melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

In a larger bowl, blend the butter and sugars till nice and creamy.

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

Beat the vanilla and the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture.

Blend till creamy.

Add the sifted, dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until blended.

2 cups chocolate chips

If you used a hand blender for the previous steps, for this part use a wooden spoon.

Gently stir in the chocolate chips

Either lightly grease your cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.

For MONSTER COOKIES

Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the cookie sheets 3 inches apart

Makes 6 cookies

Bake 15 - 17 minutes

For LARGE COOKIES

Drop large spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets 2 inches apart 9 cookies per sheet

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Bake 13 - 14 minutes

For REGULAR SIZE COOKIES

Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets 2 inches apart 12 cookies per sheet

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Bake 11 - 12 minutes 

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

ENJOY!

Almond Sugar Cookies..Addition to the Sweet Treat Tradition of the Holiday Season

The trick to holiday baking is to get it done early enough to ease the stressful time crunch of the "to do" list before Christmas Eve. But the downside around this house is that between event contributions and all those people who deserve a little something, by the time the big day rolls around there is often little left. 

But the tradition is rewarding even if we do swear we'll cut back on the "unnecessary" work every year. New, untried and enticing recipes flood our Facebook pages and magazines, adding to the craziness of what makes for holiday cheer.

This new recipe is a keeper. It was cut out years ago from a Taste Of Home magazine and was tucked away in a cookie cookbook.

What sets it apart from the usual sugar cookie is the almond extract rather than the usual vanilla.

The buttery taste makes this a definite melt-in-your mouth gem of a cookie.

ALMOND SUGAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 cup softened butter (no substitutions)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp almond extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the almond extract.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Sift these three dry ingredients.

Add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture.

With your hands, roll into 1 inch balls.

Place two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Coat the bottom of a glass with cooking spray.

Dip the glass into a bit of sugar and flatten the cookie balls.

Baked at 400 for 7 - 9 minutes or longer (12 minutes) if the cookie dough balls were larger.

Remove the cookie sheet when the edges of the cookies are lightly brown.

Cool for 1 minute and remove the cookies to a wire rack.

For Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

2 - 3 tsp water.

sliced almonds, toasted

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, almond extract and enough water to achieve a glaze consistency to drizzle.

Tint with food coloring if desired and drizzle a bit onto each cookie.

Let the cookies cool before you add the drizzle or the icing melts into the cookie.

Sprinkle with almond slices.

Makes 3 - 4 dozen, depending how big the dough balls were.

Applesauce Raisin Muffins, Cold Weather Goodness

 Cold weather weekend mornings are perfect for homemade goodness at breakfast or mid-day snacking. Better yet if these muffins started with homemade applesauce!

This recipe was probably cut from a Taste of Home magazine but who knows from what issue.

MOTHER'S APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

4 cups flour (you can use 1/2 all-purpose and 1/2 oat or wheat)

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbs ground allspice

2 tsp baking soda

Combine and sift to blend these four dry ingredients in a large bowl.

1 cup butter (soften in microwave if right out of refrigerator)

2 cups sugar

Cream the butter and the sugar in a mixing bowl

Then beat in:

2 eggs

2 cups applesauce

2 tbsp vanilla extract

Fold the butter/sugar mixture into the dry mixture and stir just until moistened. 

Add 1 cup raisins

Don't over mix or muffins can be tough.

Grease muffin pans

Pour the batter into 24 muffin cups about 3/4 full each

Bake at 350 degrees F

20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick tests done

Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing or muffins may stick.

Cool on a wire rack

Yield 2 dozen

Freeze for later if desired

Enjoy this old-fashioned, healthy recipe!

Ideal for a quick, nutritious breakfast, lunch or anytime snack.

Perfect to make ahead and save for holiday gift giving and party contributions.

Apple Crisp, Cross between a cookie and a pie

Apple season is here and you can never have too many recipes on ways to enjoy them. It is the week before Thanksgiving and the weather has taken a downhill spiral seemingly overnight. So what is there to do on a blustery Sunday afternoon but enjoy home baked goodness and a steaming hot cup of coffee.

This recipe for Apple Crisp is a combination of a crisp oatmeal cookie and apple pie. But you don't have to deal with making a pie crust and most likely the ingredients are already in the cupboard. Originally from an issue of Taste Of Home magazine, this recipe was contributed by Gertrude Bartnick of Wisconsin.

APPLE CRISP

Preheat the oven to 350 F

In a mixing bowl, combine these four ingredients:
 1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cut in:
1/2 cup butter which is 1 stick.

If right out of the refrigerator, soften for 20 seconds in the microwave. You want it softened a bit but not melted.
Use a pastry blender tool to cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Press half of this mix into a greased baking pan.
The recipe says to use a 2 1/2 qt. baking dish or a 9 inch square baking pan.
I had doubled the recipe so in the photo shown I had used a 9 x 12 in. baking dish.

Peel and chop:
4 cups apples

Add the chopped apples to cover the crumbly mixture already in the baking pan.

In a saucepan, combine:
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cand stir this sugar mixture until it comes to a slight boil and turns thick and clear.


Pour the sugar mixture over the apples which are already in the baking pan.

Sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown.

Let sit to thicken up before cutting into it to serve.
Serve warm as is or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each serving.

Homemade Pizza For Pennies

Friday night pizza is a mainstay in many a tired household by the end of a long week. Even if on a tight budget you can enjoy a good pizza and even have control of what goes in and on it for variety and better nutrition.

The recipe originally came from a cookbook called The Food Processor Bread Book by the editors of Consumer Guide, but I got it from a wonderful book called The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn There are three books to this set described as "promoting thrift as a viable alternative lifestyle". This recipe came from book two.

Bread dough made in a food processor requires no hand kneading, just a few spins to form a dough ball, a short rest and you're ready to roll it out and get it in the oven.

THICK AND CHEWY PIZZA DOUGH

1/4 - 3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F, you don't want it too hot or it'll kill the yeast)
1 package or 1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine 1/4 cup of the water with the yeast and the sugar in a small bowl.
Stir to dissolve the yeast and let it stand about five to ten minutes till the yeast starts to bubble and rise.

Put the flour, oil, and salt into the food processor and process on blend for about five seconds. Use the steel blade.

Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and process about 10 seconds or until blended.

While the food processor is running, slowly drizzle just enough of the remaining water through the feed tube so the dough forms a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl. Once the ball is formed let it spin around about 25 to 30 times.

Put the dough ball onto a 14-inch greased pizza pan. I used a pizza stone and sprinkled corn meal over the surface but if I don't have any cornmeal I grease it with coconut oil.
Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap of a bowl and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Using your fingers or a lightly floured rolling pin press out the dough into a circle shape, leaving a ridge along the sides.
Spread with pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce if you don't have pizza sauce, add your choice of cheese, toppings and pizza seasoning if desired.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Remove the pizza pan from the oven, cut and enjoy!

Note:
You can make the dough ball(s) ahead of time and freeze them so you have them on hand.
Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months. When ready to use, remove from the freezer about 12 hours before you need to make the pizza and put in the refrigerator to thaw. Bring out of the fridge about 30 minutes to warm up before attempting to roll it out.

Flour Free Blender Muffins, Healthy Snacking

When I discovered this recipe on Facebook for a flourless muffin I was intrigued to try it as a great, healthy idea to cut back on the amount of wheat based bread our family eats. The recipe seemed simple enough but the first time around I certainly didn't have them on the table as quick as suggested. Here's why, so should you try these you don't waste time out of frustration and toss the whole idea.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Use cooking spray or add muffin cup liners to your muffin pan.
Recipe makes 12 muffins

Gather your Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 cup Greek yogurt  (I don't see why it specifies Greek yogurt other than it is nice and thick. I used vanilla yogurt rather than plain but that is up to you)
3 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt which is about 1/8 tsp

Topping Suggestions:

-cinnamon and apple chunks
-strawberries and blueberries
-chocolate chips and almonds
-strawberries and chocolate chips
-unsweetened coconut
-granola

I found these also make a healthy snack idea for our dogs. Just be sure not to include raisins or chocolate as toppings if your dog will be sharing them with you.


The original recipe says to just add all ingredients to a blender, blend for 1-2 minutes and voila. Well, this is the part that can get you to say, umm...what am I doing wrong...and bag it.
From this picture you can see I added the ingredients in the order listed which is the oats first. When I turned on the blender it just seem to strain the motor. Since the liquid (which there isn't much anyway) couldn't drip down to the blades, my blender wasn't strong enough to get things going. So I ended up dumping the whole thing out into a big bowl and stirring it to blend a bit. I put it all back in and tried again...to no avail. So out it goes again into my bowl and I added it back to the blender in parts. I put about a fourth in and blended it before adding some more, continuing to do this about four times till it was all in and churning nicely. Blend till smooth but don't over do it cause we all know that an overly mixed muffin ends up a tough muffin.


Pouring the batter over into the muffin cups was easy enough since it was in a blender and not a bowl where you have the drips from having to scoop them into the pan.

I chose granola for my topping since that is what I had but fresh fruit would probably be delicious and you can't lose with chocolate chips. Vanilla, butterscotch or cinnamon chips are also ideas to try. I also want to see how it works with dried fruit, like blueberries, cranberries, cherries and of course raisins. Keep off the raisins or the chocolate chips if giving to your dog. The other type chips should probably be avoided too since there's no reason a dog needs sugary sweets.


So in the oven they go for 15 minutes. Maybe it's just my oven but they weren't done in only 15 minutes so I baked them another five minutes and my toothpick came out clean. I let them cool a bit so they wouldn't stick when getting them out. They didn't just pop out (maybe your type of pan will, but I used a stone muffin pan), so I ran a dull knife around the edges to loosen first. Don't use a sharp knife or you may scratch your muffin pan.

These muffins are very tasty, but were a little spongy. I don't know if that is normal or perhaps I mixed the batter too long or maybe they could've baked a bit longer. Future trial and error will tell me that.
Since one batch only makes 12 muffins I had no need to freeze them so don't know how that would work out. I have a feeling they would defrost and be even more spongy than they are now. But I'd have to try it to know for sure.
With all the ideas for toppings, these muffins do have a lot of potential to be made frequently.
They are easy and quick and very healthy. One muffin is said to have about 115 calories, 2 grams fat, 20 grams carbs, 5 grams protein, 2 grams fiber, 8 grams sugar.
If it says anything, my dogs loved them!

Valentine's Sugar Cookies, HeartSweets

A lot of what makes a Home Sweet Home is the positive energy within its walls. And when it comes to showing our love for people, we have a natural urge to feed them.

Valentine's Day is the holiday of love and there are many ways in which to express that emotion. The history behind the Legend, Love and Lore is both romantic and fascinating. Hearts, Cupid, Chocolate, Cards, Flowers and jewelry are all symbols to say "I love you" to that special someone. Baking is another sure way to bring someone back to the comfort of their childhood kitchen memories of love and security.

This recipe for Valentine's Sugar Cookies can be made anytime, using any shape cookie cutter. Their touch of almond and vanilla extracts set them a bit apart from the usual sugar cookie at Christmas.

VALENTINE SUGAR COOKIE

from Taste of Home magazine

donated by Rene Schwebach

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

red sprinkle sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar.

Add the egg and the extracts.

Stir in the flour and mix well.

Cover the bowl and chill for several hours.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

I find it easier to pull off chunks of dough at a time rather than attempt to roll out the entire ball.

Use a heart shaped cookie cutter (2 1/2 or 3 inch heart works well)

 Cut out cookies and place 12 at a time on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with the red sugar sprinkles.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 9 - 10 minutes.

They will brown lightly around the edges.

Let cool a few minutes till hold their shape and remove to a cookie rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

Unbaked cookies

Baked cookies

CRANBERRY OAT COOKIES...Take a Break From the Cold

Shoveling out from under a snowstorm is what you make of it. It can be nothing but a cursing with every shovelful or it can be a steady, take your time, meditative type of chore. Whatever it may be, there is little else more motivating than to know that when you're done you can leisurely sit and enjoy a plate of homemade cookies.

This recipe comes from Taste of Home magazine, sent in by Heather Breen
With the addition of oats and dried cranberries, it is a tasty, a bit healthy cookie, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside.

CRANBERRY OAT COOKIES

Mix these three ingredients together in a large bowl:
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup oil of choice, the recipe called for canola

Beat in:
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine and sift together in another medium size bowl:
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour or you can divide that up with wheat or oat flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture.
Stir in:
1 cup dried cranberries

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Only let cool about 3 minutes and then remove to a wire rack. If cookies remain on pan too long they will stick.

This batch makes about 4 dozen

Gingerbread Cookies, Frugal Holiday Treasure

I stumbled upon what may be the perfect holiday cookie with more perks going for it than dietary downfalls.

Busy days have always deterred me from doing cut-out cookies for Christmas since rolling out dough usually became a frustrating experience. Drop cookies were so much less of a mess and took half the time, so I thought till now.

Gingerbread cookies have to be the one holiday treat that is guaranteed to lighten the mood and produce a smile.  No matter what a person's age, he or she cannot eat one without murmuring an "ahhhh, I remember when..." moment from childhood.

Most cut-out cookie recipes are made up of the ingredients we are usually trying to avoid: white flour, white sugar and solid shortening. This recipe I discovered is a gem. It is probably from the lean years of the Great Depression or the rations of war time because it doesn't contain any white sugar or eggs. Years ago such simplicity was out of necessity or availability, but today it can be seen in a more positive light:

A nutritional boost of iron
No white sugar
No eggs or milk
Very easy handling dough
Perfect for those who want a not-so-sweet cookie.
Ideal for dipping in milk, tea or coffee.
They are a crisp cookie so hold up well for packing into tins as gift ideas or shipping.

GREAT-GREAT GRANDMA'S OLD-FASHIONED GINGERSNAPS

By Helen E. Goodwin 

"Yankee Church Supper Cookbook"

1 Cup baking Molasses (Blackstrap if want the nutritional boost and not as sweet)

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Tbsp ground Ginger spice

1 rounded Tsp Baking Soda

3 Cups Flour

Boil together the molasses and butter.

Let cool.

In a large bowl, sift together the ginger, baking soda and flour.

Add the molasses, butter mixture and blend well.

Roll dough thin (about 1/8 inch thick) on a floured board or surface.

Cut out with cookie cutters.

Space out on greased cookie sheet so fit from 9 to 12 cookies, depending on their size.

Add desired decorations, such as raisins for eyes or cinnamon hearts for belly buttons.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 - 10 minutes

Makes 2 - 3 dozen gingerbread men or 4 - 6 dozen smaller cookie cutter shapes.

Yankee Church Supper Cookbook

If interested in other ways to use Blackstrap Molasses

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Blackstrap Molasses...Good-bye Fatigue, Cramps

Starting a conversation with the phrase "back in the olden days" may immediately cause eyes to roll, with the thought being "here we go again", but many times those old days had the right idea.

Earl Mindell's Food as Medicine is a firm believer that what you eat can help prevent everything from colds to heart disease to cancer. The words "food" and "medicine" are once again being said in the same breath as physicians realize that it is necessary to treat the "whole body" rather than thinking that each bodily system needed its own specialist without the need to collaborate with one another to understand what is really going on with a patient.

Years ago before white sugar was the norm, blackstrap molasses was the principal sweetener used in cooking and baking. Cost and availability are usually the reason behind peoples' eating habits. The more processed a food gets the nutritional value usually decreases. Sugar is no exception.

Molasses is made from the sugar cane, a tropical grass that has been cultivated by humans for thousands of years. Light and brown, powdered and granulated white sugars are all highly refined with little nutritional value. The natural sugars we see in health food stores are made with fewer steps in their processing. The fewer the steps, the less impact on the environment as well as more of the naturally occurring vitamins and minerals will remain in the final product.

Blackstrap molasses contains significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. It is the syrup that remains after the sugar cane is made into table sugar. Blackstrap is the most concentrated and carmelized type. There are three different types of molasses: unsulfured, sulfured, and blackstrap.  To make molasses from sugar cane there are two tasks required. First the sugar cane juice has to be separated from the pulp, and then the sugar (sucrose) has to be extracted from the juice. To do that there are what they call "rounds of processing".

After a first round of processing, which involves spinning the juice and heating, the remaining syrup is the light molasses seen in the grocery store. It is light in color and has a mild taste. A second round of processing is done to extract more sucrose and that result is what is processed and sold as table sugar. The resulting syrup from that round is the dark molasses seen in the grocery store.

Finally, with a third round of processing, the result is known as blackstrap molasses. This syrup is dark, thick and the most nutritious. 

Significant amounts of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium and selenium are all found in blackstrap molasses.
Adding blackstrap molasses to the diet is like adding a source of power to your system. 

Anyone needing a boost in iron intake should consider working molasses into their food intake. Iron is critical for the proper transport of iron to all bodily tissues. Proper levels of hemoglobin and the formation of new cells in the body are maintained with ideal iron absorption. Compared to red meat, blackstrap molasses is lower in calories and doesn't contain any fat. 

Other health benefits of molasses include relief from diabetes, obesity, stress, acne and other skin problems, constipation, headaches, arthritis, anemia and even cancer. Bone health, electrolyte balance, hair care, the nervous system, stronger immune system and wound healing are all helped along with the nutritional benefits of blackstrap molasses.

It has also been found that blackstrap molasses is one of the best remedies around for menstrual cramps!
This is another one of those old-fashioned remedies our grandmothers swore by and fortunately such knowledge is making a comeback. 
Once a day, combine a tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar and a tbsp of blackstrap molasses in a glass of water. Raw Apple cider vinegar and raw honey is another combination that has survived the test of time for maintaining vitality. But being blackstrap molasses is so high in vitamins and minerals, it is ideal for helping with anemia, a real problem for menstruating women. Get the nutritional needs back in balance and a lot of those PMS symptoms will resolve themselves.   

Sulfur dioxide is often added to lighten the color of the molasses and extend its shelf life by preventing it from fermenting. Being there is a relationship between sulfur metabolism and sulfur dioxide and sulfites, the potential problems with allergic reactions to sulfites in foods may be good enough reason to look for unsulfured molasses. Another reason for that choice is that sulfur dioxide is a component in the production of acid rain.

It is doubtful you will find anyone today slathering their morning toast with blackstrap molasses as was done in Colonial days, but below are two great ways to sneak it in:

Iced Blackstrap Molasses (Earth Clinic) 

1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
hot water
3/4 cup milk or dairy substitute
ice

Add the molasses to a glass and add just enough hot water to cover the molasses. Stir until dissolved. Add the ice and top off with the milk, soymilk, almond milk or whatever you choose. Vanilla or chocolate almond, soy or coconut milk are all tasty additions.

Ginger Molasses Muffins (Marlene Falsetti from Taste of Home magazine)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Beat the above three ingredients in a large size bowl.

1 egg
1 cup blackstrap molasses

Beat in the molasses and the egg.

In another bowl combine and sift together:

3 cups all-purpose flour or 1/2 all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup wheat flour 
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Stir the dry mixture into the molasses mixture alternatively with 

1 cup water

Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18 - 20 minutes.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes and remove muffins to a wire rack.
Makes about 20 muffins


Another hearty muffin recipe:

Molasses Raisin Muffins

Blackstrap Molasses Cookies (the hungry hounds blog)

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

1/4 cup corn syrup

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together at high speed for 3 minutes for stand mixer or 6 minutes with hand mixer.

Add egg, molasses and syrup

Mix to combine

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

In another bowl, sift together the above dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter egg mixture. Mix only enough to blend together.

Refrigerate for at least an hour. Allows the dough to firm up for easier handling.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 

Make a sugar topping using:

1/2 cup sugar

Make dough balls with your hands and roll in the sugar

Place on greased cookie sheets

Bake 11 minutes

You are looking for the edges to be done, but the middles to appear under-cooked, this slight under baking helps cookies achieve the wanted soft texture yet crackly appearance