Spice Cookies

I made these light gingerbreads this week. Quite good, not too sweet. Though the recipe says they are soft mine went crispy after they cooled down.


Soft Molasses Cookies

* 1 cup molasses
* 1/2 cup soft brown sugar
* 1/2 cup butter
* 2 tablespoons sour cream
* 1/2 cup boiling water
* 3 cups plain/all purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ginger
* 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5

Put the molasses and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter to boiling water and when it is melted, add to the molasses. Add the sour cream and blend. Add the other ingredients and blend well. Let the mixture stand for one hour in a cold place so it will thicken

Drop by teaspoonful onto a greased baking tray. Leave room for expansion. Use a spoon dipped in milk to flatten cookies and make them shiny. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Dose of Chock

Sometimes a litte dose of chocolate is all we need. Something easy to bite into with crumbles nicely with tea. This chocolate crisps do the trick. They aren't the type of cookie that melt in your mouth and leave you speechless. But those aren't always good for the figure. In fact you definitly need the white chocolate glaze to sweeten them up. Half the recipe made plenty of cookies. I shaped them into bones for Halloween.

Source
Ingredients
1 cup (250 mL) salted butter
¾ cup (175 mL) brown sugar
1¾ cup (425 mL) all-purpose flour
½ cup (125 mL) cocoa


Topping:
8 oz (250 g) chopped white chocolate, melted

Get Cooking!

1. Cream butter and sugar together until light, about 5 minutes. Sift flour with cocoa.
2. Beat into butter mixture. Divide dough into four square pieces. Wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. Roll out one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 squares of about 2 in (5 cm) each. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Arrange cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (Cookies will not spread too much, if at all, as they bake.)
4. Bake in a preheated 275°F (140°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven then, after 15 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.
5. Melt chocolate in a 2-cup (500-mL) measuring cup. Dip cookies in the chocolate on the diagonal so that half are covered from one corner to another in white chocolate. Allow excess white chocolate to drain off and arrange cookies on rack. Refrigerate until set.

Design & Cupcakes

I like this website because it talks about details and gives plans, materials, etc.

But the architect had to taste-test?

Woodhouse, who dislikes chocolate, gravitated toward some of More Cupcakes’ unusual offerings—of which BLT, foie gras, and lemon meringue are only a few.

Vote Now!

The best dressed of the decade! It's actually interesting to look back per year...

The cookies

Snickerdoodle inspired delights!

Snickerdooddle inspired cupcakes. mini of course, i'm obsessed at the moment.
which are Vegan and ergo egg-less!

sans-frosting

avec frosting

Recipe via Grouprecipes

Ingredients

1 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. Mix together soymilk and vinegar and set aside for 1-5 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and white sugar.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil.
5. Add remaining oil and the orange and vanilla extracts to the soured soymilk. Stir together and add to the dry ingredients. Mix together to form a smooth batter. Pour into the lined cupcake pan, filling each cup no more than 2/3 full.
6. Spoon a heaping 1/2 teaspoon full of the cinnamon mixture into each cupcake. Make a zigzag or spiral in the cupcake batter with a bamboo stick or toothpick.
7. Bake for 19-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool and frost with vanilla frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
9. Frosting Notes: I rarely measure when I make vanilla frosting. I just take 1/2 cup of softened Earth Balance and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat it with enough sifted powdered sugar to get the right consistency and taste. If it gets too thick I thin it with a little soy milk.

NOTE: I added maybe ... 1/8th cup flour to the batter, it was too liquidy before putting in greased cupcake tins.

We MUST get into this market segment

Dessert Architecture!

It's this time of the year again...

R E S O L U T I O N S !!!

I've done poorly on last year's, but here's some advice for our 2010 resolutions:

1. Be realistic
   The surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. For instance, resolving to never eat your favorite food again because it bothers your IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) could be a bad choice. Strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding it more often than you do now.
2. Plan ahead
   Don't make your resolution on New Year's Eve. If you wait until the last minute, it will be based on your mindset that particular day. Instead, it should be planned well before December 31 arrives.
3. Outline your plan
   Decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have one more cigarette. This could include calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk, or reminding yourself how your bad habit affects your IBD.
4. Make a "pro" and "con" list
   It may help to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.
5. Talk about it
   Don't keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best case scenario is to find yourself a buddy who shares your New Year's resolution and motivate each other.
6. Reward yourself
   This doesn't mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates if your resolution is to diet. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something that you enjoy that does not contradict your resolution. If you've been sticking to your promise to eat better, for example, perhaps your reward could be going to a movie with a friend.
7. Track your progress
   Keep track of each small success you make toward reaching your larger goal. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and small accomplishments will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, say, focus on losing that first 5. Keeping a food diary or a symptom journal may help you stay on track.
8. Don't beat yourself up
   Obsessing over the occasional slip won't help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take each day one at a time.
9. Stick to it
   Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity, such as exercising, to become a habit, and 6 months for it to become part of your personality. Your new healthful habits will become second-nature in no time.
10. Keep trying
    If your resolution has totally run out of steam by mid-February, don't despair. Start over again! There's no reason you can't make a "New Year's resolution" any time of year.

What Shapes Careers?

Hmm... Our thirties will be pivotal.

"both men and women say the single most pivotal event in their careers occurred when they were around the age of 30, after they had spent about eight years in the workforce. Nearly 40 percent say that an outcome of this event was taking a new job in a new industry"