Gingerbread Hearts

Credit goes to my 12 year old daughter, Charley, for finding this recipe and baking up some amazingly incredible gingerbread cookies.

She was in the holiday mood and desperately wanted to make a traditional sweet treat.  She found this cookie recipe in one of her favorite cookbooks but sadly did not find a gingerbread man cutter anywhere in the house.  So we settled on heart shapes and we are all very pleased with the results.

These cookies , if eaten warm, have a wonderful moist and chewy center.  They pretty much melt in your mouth.  Once they cool they are crisp and crunchy, resembling a gingersnap in both texture and taste.

WARNING:  Let them cool at least 5 minutes in the pan before transferring them via spatula to a cooling rack or they will fall apart en-route.

Feel free to eat as-is or decorate with royal icing. Next time around my daughter has decided that using them as sandwich cookies and filling the middle with cream cheese frosting is the way to go.  I agree !!!

Thank-you, Charley :)

So get baking, people !


RECIPE:
adapted source recipe: Gingerbread Kids, Williams-Sonoma, Kids Baking

WHAT YOU NEED

2 3/4 CUPS all purpose flour
2 1/2 TSP baking powder
1 TABLESPOON ground ginger
1 1/2 TSP ground cinnamon
1/2 TSP ground nutmeg
1/4 TSP salt
1/2 CUP unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 CUP firmly packed light brown sugar
1 TSP pure vanilla extract
1 LARGE egg at room temperature
1/3 CUP molasses

MAKE IT

IN MEDIUM BOWL, combine first 6 dry ingredient and stir with wooden spoon
IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, combine butter, brown sugar and vanilla.
BEAT on MEDIUM speed for 3 minutes
SCRAPE down sides of bowl with spatula
ADD dry ingredients to butter mixture on low speed just until blended
PLACE dough onto lightly floured work surface
DIVIDE into 2 pieces, shape into a somewhat flat disc, cover in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 1 hour

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper

ON lightly floured work surface, roll out chilled dough to 1/4 " thickness
CUT into shapes and with a spatula, transfer cookies to baking sheet
BAKE 10-12 minutes or until edges start to brown slightly
LET COOL on cookies sheets for 5 minutes
TRANSFER cookies to cooling rack
FROST as desired

ENJOY !

I Am Back !!! Or Am I ?

Seriously, I don't even know where to begin. I have been absent from both of my blogs for what seems like decades; actually several months. Why? The list is long. Lots of it's the typical stuff: work, home life, health.... So let's start in that very order:

A threat of possible layoffs (which thankfully didn't happen to me !) and then more changes at work resulted in lots of stress, more time spent after work hours worrying about this, that and everything else.  We have all been there.

Gluten Free Raisin Bread

Can you really enjoy bread while on a gluten and dairy free diet?  Absolutely!  And thanks to Elana at Elana's Pantry, you can indulge in a heavenly slice of cinnamon raisin bread any time your heart (and tummy) desires.

The base ingredient of this recipe may surprise you.  It is none other than roasted almond butter. That's right, a nut butter is the main flour replacement in this recipe.  Add in some almond flour and arrowroot powder as binding agents and the result is spectacular.

Nutella Pretzel Brownies

Salty and sweet, packed with chocolate and a wickedly delicious crunchy crust, these brownies ROCK!

I was surfing the web for foodie ideas, as I usually do, when I stumbled across this amazing recipe for Nutella Pretzel Brownies. Seriously?  Does it get any better than this?  I don't think so.

The crust is made with a mixture of salty pretzels, brown sugar and butter.  Ummm, yes please!   Then the pre-baked crust is topped off with a rich chocolate and nutella brownie batter.  The icing on the cake, no pun intended, is the finishing touch :  Nutella spread over the semi-cooled brownies and topped with more salted pretzels.

I have always been a tremendous fan of salty and sweet - chocolate dipped pretzels have been a longtime love of mine.  But throw in Nutella and things just get crazy; in a good way!

Somerset Apple Cider Cake

With fall fast approaching, what better way to celebrate early than with a sweet apple cake?  This recipe comes from across the pond - all the way from merry old England.   Somerset Apple Cake is moist, rich, and screaming out for a side of warm custard or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

This cake requires tart apples, ones that will still have a "bite" both in taste and texture after baking.  I used Granny Smith and they worked perfectly.

If you don't have apple cider, don't panic.  You can easily switch it up with apple juice. It won't have the same depth of flavor as the cider brings to the baked treat but it works nonetheless.

This cake bakes in a springform pan and needs a good hour in a 325F oven.  You can eat it warm or cool and it is best eaten the same day. 

S'mores Cupcakes

Call them Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting, call them S'more Cupcakes...it doesn't matter.  In the end,  you will call them DELICIOUS!  No, these are not gluten-free or dairy free but so be it.  They are heaven wrapped up in a sweet cupcake topped off with a swirl of marshmallow cloud.  And I love them.  Plus they gave me an excuse to use a kitchen torch and I am all for it !

I found this recipe while meandering through Martha Stewart's website. The photo lured me in initially.  They looked so pretty and so fun too.  I especially adore the layers of goodies that create this luscious treat: a crunchy graham cracker crust, a layer of chocolate, the devil-food cake like cupcake itself and lastly, a browned 7 minute frosting finishes the deal.

Blueberry Boy Bait

I have been meaning to make this cake for ages but every time I about to I realize I am missing one key ingredient...usually blueberries.  Today was different.  I planned for this day and with all ingredients on hand I made the best gluten-free blueberry coffee cake I have ever eaten.

It is light, buttery, fluffy, studded with blueberries and the crunchy cinnamon sugar topping is amazing.

Of course I once again have Cybele Pascal to thank for an incredible GF recipe.  Her cookbook never fails to amaze me.   Each recipe is nothing short of perfection.

This time around I only switched things up a bit.  I added 3 eggs instead of egg replacer and used almond milk instead of rice milk.  Other than that, I stuck to her recipe and it turned out brilliantly.

Get this book - seriously, GET IT!

Loving Britain Giveaway Winner !

Thank you to all my followers for your participation in this giveaway.  I am excited to share with you all today the name of the winner of this great British cookbook.

Decadent Lemon Cupcakes

I have been and always will be a cupcake girl.  I love any flavor, frosted or plain, filled with ganache or just dusted with icing sugar.  It all works for me.  Is chocolate at the top of my list? Second. The top is lemon. Nothing quite beats the taste of a fresh, citrus dessert where I am concerned. I love pies, puddings, cookies and squares but most of all I love sweet cupcakes infused with the gorgeous flavors of lemon.

And this cupcake does it for me:  moist, cakey, sweet and gently scented with the zest of a lemon.  The frosting is smooth, creamy and , you guessed it,  lemony.  Pair this with a cup of tea and all your worries will melt away.  Perfection.

Loving Britain Giveaway

It is giveaway time here again on Lemon Drop.  This one is very special for me.  You see, I love, I mean LOVE Britain.  I have wonderful friends there, the countryside is to die for  and the food - oh  my, the food.  Think Eccles Cakes, Victoria Sponge, creamy and rich Custard Sauce, Bakewell Tarts, Chelsea Buns.  I am drooling as I write this.

So in honor of my love of Britain, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Year and London 2012,  I am offering you, my sweet followers, a chance to win an amazing cookbook COOKING BRITAIN.

This glossy book is fantastic.  It is filled with incredible recipes from England, Scotland and Ireland. There are savory and sweet recipes peppered throughout along with some delectable food photography.   Absolutely mouth-watering.

My fave part of the book though are the tidbits of history for the featured foods.  Want to learn the origin of the Bakewell Tart?  Or how a Lardy Cake came to be? It's all right here.

The "food dictionary" at the back of the book is also heaven-sent.  Not sure what a Bramley apple or know what it is but cannot find it locally? Then head to the back of the book where you will find a description of the item as well as substitute recommendations. For us non-Brits this is essential.

Now you will need to act fast if you want to participate. This giveaway closes at 11 PM next Saturday, July 28th.   Just follow the steps outlined below for your chance to win! 

Hummingbird Bakery Frosted Brownies

This recipe yields, without a doubt in my mind, the BEST chocolate brownies I have ever eaten. The base is a rich dark chocolate that is thick, sweet and chewy.  The chocolate cream cheese frosting is just that - icing on the cake.  Smooth, creamy and rich with dark cocoa powder.  This combo is a winner!

Thank-you, Hummingbird Bakery, for another amazing recipe.  Every one I have tried so far from their gorgeous cookbook has been a huge success.  This one is no different.

Gluten-Free Baking Soda Biscuits

I will be honest - I don't have many memories from my childhood...maybe 10 at most? Don't ask. But one memory that I do have is crystal clear:  making baking soda biscuits with my mom.

I have loved those somewhat salty, flaky and fluffy biscuits my entire life.  They are perfect eaten as-is, or filled with savory or sweet goodies.  My all-time fave is an egg and ham sandwich with one of these babies as the bun!  I would eat one daily if I could.

After having gone the gluten-free route, I really missed my biscuits. Then one day I wandered on over to Elana's Pantry and found a recipe that changed my world.  Gluten-free biscuits that use almond flour as their base ingredient.  They are very easy to make and they taste great; especially when eaten still warm from the oven with a dab of butter (or dairy-free butter substitute).

Old-Fashioned Cherry Clafloutis

As always, I was thrilled to see the new edition of the Food Network Magazine arrive in the mail the other day.  It was jam-packed with goodies and an abundance of recipes that I couldn't wait to start testing out in my kitchen.  But when I stumbled upon their section featuring cherries I put all other thoughts aside and zero'd in on an amazing yet simple recipe for Old-Fashioned Cherry Clafloutis.

Paleo-friendly Banana Pecan Muffins

Muffins that are Paleo friendly and taste great? Of course !

If you follow the Paleo diet you know that both dairy and gluten are out - eggs are ok if you don't have an intolerance of course.  As far as bananas go, many people seem to be on the fence about this sweet fruit.  Yes, it is a great source of potassium and adds lovely flavor and moisture to baked goods but is it too high on the Glycemic Index?  That choice is up to you.

But if you love your bananas then you are gonna love these Paleo inspired muffins! They are slightly spiced, moist and fluffy with a crunchy pecan topping.  Feel free to toss in some ripe berries into the batter too if you wish; blueberries or raspberries would be great.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Citrus Glaze

Combine the delicious recipes from Hummingbird Bakery and Martha Stewart along with some fantastic gluten-free flour and what do you get?  An amazing cupcake !

These beauties bake up light and fluffy. They are perfectly sweet and speckled throughout with vanilla bean.  Topped off with a lovely lemon glaze these are sure to please.

Gluten-Free Baked Donuts

I was searching for a baked donut recipe that could easily be converted to gluten-free. I didn't want to mess with yeast or an array of GF flours either.  I wanted it simple, tasty and easy to prepare.

Persistence paid off because I located a recipe that fit all of my criteria without any gluten-free changes required. It was already done for me and was such a simple recipe that I couldn't wait to test it out.  Testing was a huge success! I now have a new favorite donut recipe that I will make again and again.

Gluten-Free Nutella Muffins

Soft, cakey and swirled with Nutella.  Even better they are gluten-free, sweetened with coconut palm sugar and can be dairy free to with just a few changes.

These are best served warm from the oven topped with a dollop of your fave vanilla ice cream (rice and coconut varieties are wonderful).   A decadent dessert!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are not just gluten-free - they are also egg and dairy free too. Perfect for someone with allergies but not willing to compromise on taste.

These are chewy, sweet and filled with mini chocolate chips. These puff up during baking and take on a lovely golden brown color. As they cool the cookies settle and become more flat in nature. The texture is super moist but won't fall apart when you are indulging in them.  

Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This is a fantastic cake based on Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Classic Banana Bundt Cake.  It is reminiscent of banana bread but has a finer crumb. Perfect to serve for dessert topped with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream!

I love the flavor of banana and chocolate so adjusted the recipe and added dark chocolate chips. I am also a huge fan of spices when bananas are the main player in a recipe so cinnamon and nutmeg were a must for me.  The flavors all work together incredibly well and result in an exceptionally delicious cake. Lastly, I wasn't keen on adding the required 2 cups of sugar to this recipe so exchanged it for coconut sugar.  Great results!

Gluten-Free Orange Cranberry Scones

It has been some time since my last post and I humbly apologize.  I took some time off for a pre-summer holiday and didn't get much baking done at all.  Though I enjoyed the relaxation I did miss feeding my baking addiction.  To get things kick-started I wanted to dive back in with a gluten-free treat truly loved by many - the scone.

I have tried many GF scones before and none have lived up to the hype. They were either too dense, too dry or had some kind of funky aftertaste.  After much searching I found a recipe online that seemed promising and gave it a whirl.  I am very pleased with the baking results and can safely say these are scones that are not just "edible" but downright delicious.  My son who won't touch dried fruit scarfed down 2 of these while still warm, dried cranberries and all !