We Bake Bon Appetit…Day 9 Tea Cake Sandwich Cookies

This was one of the first cookies that caught my eye for We Bake Bon Appetite.The Tea Cake Sandwich Cookie looked so simple and perfect. I kept putting this recipe off as I was trying to knock out the easy, no chill cookies first. This recipe contains no eggs and at first seems dry, but comes together nicely as you blend.The process and chilling times in this recipe can be a little tedious, and I readily admit I skipped over some steps in the rolling out. If you are an experienced baker you know the key is to keep the dough well chilled.

I used a scalloped cutter for these. I am trying to avoid royal icing this year and just stick to sugar sprinkles. I embellished my cookies with various sugars I had laying around. I even made my own sanding sugar with some powdered food color and raw sugar. I plan to play around with that more and more. I found some red glittery edible dust and made a few dabs here and there. All in all a festive platter of cookies. The fillings are Goya’s Strawberry and Passion Fruit jams. The beauty of these is that you can dress them up or down.
You can find the recipe here.

Be sure to visit the other bakers:

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes (honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks
Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity
Michelle of Big Black Dog
RJ of Flamingo Musings
Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project


Also this may be of interest to some of you if you like contests.
Enter to win a 12 Place Table Setting For the Holidays!

We Bake Bon Appetit … Day 8 Holiday Biscotti With Cranberries and Pistachios

Forgive me. I OD’d on cookies this week coupled with work and family related issues. One of my favorite uncles is not doing well and its just a matter of time. He lives in Vienna Austria, so the distance is stressful on my family here. Thankfully I have another uncle ( paternal) checking in on him and we are getting daily updates from friends. It seems death and illness is rampant with most of my acquaintances lately. So many sad stories lately.So you can imagine cookies were the last thing on my mind these past few days. But baking is always great therapy and a way to unwind.
I chose what looked like an easy recipe to pull together.The appeal of Holiday Biscotti With Cranberries and Pistachios was no chilling time! My dried cranberries didnt look all bright and red like Bon Appetites photograph, but I loved the flavors of anise, lemon, and pistachios mingling with the tart cranberries. I used Anise extract and I didn’t have whole anise seed. I wonder why I don’t use that flavoring more often in my baked goods. My only problem was baking two sheets at a time and the bottom sheet burning a bit when I toasted the sliced biscotti. That was easily remedied by scraping the burnt bits away like toast. I used an off set spatula to aid in the dipping of chocolate as my pot wasn’t deep enough. The offset spatula made the chocolate easy to handle.
You can find the recipe here.

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Be sure to visit the other bakers:

Also this may be of interest to some of you if you like contests.
Enter to win a 12 Place Table Setting For the Holidays!


We Bake Bon Appetit …Day 7 Stained Glass Lemon Cookies

For a few years I have been seeing these Stained Glass Holiday Cookies. Ground hard candies are inserted into the cookies cutouts for a stained glass effect. I used Jolly Ranchers. The recipe called for red and green candies, but I took artistic licensee and used the assorted colors. I love the zesty lemon bite to these buttery cookies. My only problem with them is sometimes the candy oozed out of the lines. But no biggie. Once hardened its like two treats in one, the cookie and the candy. Be creative with this. I tried to mix two colors but they all ran together.
You can find the recipe here.

Be sure to visit the other bakers:

Also this may be of interest to some of you if you like contests.
Enter to win a 12 Place Table Setting For the Holidays!


We Bake Bon Appetit…Day 6 New England Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

I really need my weekend to bake. One little thing can throw your game off. Happily I received my latest Springerle from House On the Hill. I became

obsessed with these molds a few years back. Last year while reading Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine, she featured a few Springerle from House On the Hill, a local vendor. The irony is that I could not find these in Germany. Its a lost art and those that have them use them for wall decoration if anything. Here is my first attempt with Springerle last spring. You can use the molds for cookies, cake decorations, and even ornaments. I decided to use mine in New England Molasses Gingerbread Cookies For Day 6 of our 12 Days of Cookies from Bon Appetit.

The recipe states these cookies are not so crisp but more tender and cake like. I was worried it wouldn’t be stiff enough for my Springerle mold, but it held up very well.

Forgive me not using the cutesy Gingerbread Men, Would you believe I don’t even have a cutter in that shape? I did make other traditional Holiday shapes , however. This recipe yields a lot and my mold for the Christ Child with Angels was very large. I still didn’t manage to use the third disc, and put that away in freezer for later use. The mold is a Medieval reproduction based on a work Stuttgart’s Wurttembergische Museum.

Sprigerle molds are tricky and when using a dark dough, I used oil to paint in every crevice to get the detail, rather than flour or confectioners sugar. The dough was soft and crumbly and you really had to press or lightly roll with a rolling pin to ensure the detail. Releasing was very tricky, but after a few attempts I got it.

I decided to take out my other mold , even though it wasn’t as Christmas like. These would make stunning little token gifts. When cooled I brused gold luster to highlight the detailed work.
You can find the recipe here.

Also this may be of interest to some of you if you like contests.
Enter to win a 12 Place Table Setting For the Holidays!

Be sure to visit the other bakers:

Sugar Body Scrubs…Low Cost Holiday Homemade Gift Ideas From C & H Sugar

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If you are looking for cookies today, bear with me, they will come later.I promise. This weekend threw an unexpected work gig my way and coming home from it that evening I had a car accident on the highway caused by a teenager rear ending me. I am fine, but as you can see was shaken and couldn’t even think about baking last night.
One project that did relax me and I am so excited for was making these sugar scrubs. C& H Sugar contacted me to write about some wonderful Holiday gift ideas. What makes C& H Sugars on the market is that use pure cane sugar, not beet sugar. Find out here what makes cane sugar so much better for baking and why their Brown Sugars are true brown sugars.
I am a bath products fiend! Many of you don’t know that I have worked in the cosmetics industry over 20 years, since leaving university. In this industry I have and wear many hats from makeup artist, account executive, to developing and supporting new business stateside and abroad. So beauty and most importantly skin is very important to me. To many of us, myself included abuse the largest organ on out body with not enough water intake, moisture, chemicals, and to much sun. Cosmetics and products abound and many are costly that we cant afford to take care of ourselves in the optimal way the companies say we should. But wouldn’t it be great if we can whip up some fabulous beauty products at home. And what wonderful gifts these would make for the Holidays, birthdays, Mothers Day, etc. They can even be tailored for the men in your life. I don’t know about you , but they have been known to use our product from time to time. So next time you are about to give your loved one a massage, throw in some sugar scrubs for their shower afterwords. Their backs and feet will smooth and cuddly.
The following are some great recipes. Be sure to visit C&H Sweet Ideas Page for more edible and Non Edible ideas and great tips and templates for decorating, gift tags, etc. Feel Free to play around with your own essential oils , extracts, and spice blends. I added Lime Essential oils to my White Cane Glimmer Sugar Scrub and yummy Pineapple extract to my Brown Sugar Scrub. The Sense of smell in regards to aromatherapy is part of the whole de stressing package. So use what appeals to you. I only advise that these be used for body, not face.

White Cane Glimmer Sugar Scrub

1 cup – C&H® Pure Cane Sugar
1 cup – vegetable oil
Oil from 1 vitamin E capsule
1 or 2 drops – of essential oil, lavender or orange
1 16oz. – glass container with lid

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Using a spatula, transfer mix into the container and secure lid. Contents will settle, mix before using. Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten on your skin.

Brown Sugar Body Scrub

We know the perfect way to relax after a long day of baking! Try this luxurious homemade spa treatment using a delicious aromatic blend of C&H® Brown Sugar, moisturizing oils and fresh fragrances. You can also create this homemade sugar scrub, as a thoughtful, low-cost gift that will make your friends feel a little sweeter!

1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup ground oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup almond oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Small containers with lids

Combine all ingredients using a spatula in a large bowl until well blended. Mix should have a paste like texture. If it is too dry add more oil a few drops at a time. Conversely, if it is too oily add more dry ingredients until you reach the desired consistency. Store in jars for up to 2 weeks in refrigerator. May need to mix before use if ingredients settle.

Application:
Gently apply to wet skin in a circular motion concentrating on dry patches and rough areas of your skin. Avoid using the scrub on sensitive areas, in cuts or on skin that is irritated or sunburned. Sugar scrubs are also not recommended for the face. Thoroughly rinse with warm water.

Caution: the oil in the sugar scrub can cause the tub to become slippery.

Have fun creating your own signature body scrub by experimenting with various scents from essential oils like grapefruit, lavender or peppermint, found in specialty markets or crafts stores.

Sweet N’ Spicy Brown Sugar Scrub

1 cup – C&H® Dark or Light Brown Sugar
1 cup – C&H® Pure Cane Sugar
¾ cup – almond oil
2 tsp. – cinnamon, powdered
2 tsp. – ginger, powdered
2 tsp. – nutmeg, powdered
1 16 oz. – glass container with lid
Cinnamon sticks, optional

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients until thoroughly blended. Be sure to break up any lumps from the brown sugar or from the spices. Spoon into the glass container and secure with lid. Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten

Some decorating ideas. I went a little ethnic with mine on some . I also used odd and ends from my sewing box and a glue gun. Recycle any old jars you may have and be sure to include the instructions on the gift tag.Hope this inspires you.

Star Anise and Cinnamon Sticks Glued to Lid

Disclosure: C& H Sugar provided me with a $20 gift card to help me with expenses in this project.