These Double Ginger Cocoa Cookies with White Chocolate came from Canada.com, and have made themselves a spot in the tins I’ll be giving to friends and neighbors this year.

Crystallized ginger can be found in the spice section of your baking aisle at the grocery store in jars similar to what the other spices are sold in. You can probably find it in larger quantities (and possibly cheaper) at a health foods store or similar, but we don’t have one of those close by yet, so the grocery store aisle it is!

Double Ginger Cocoa Cookies

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, very finely chopped
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup molasses

~ Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

~ Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, ginger and cloves into a bowl. Mix in the crystallized ginger and white chocolate chips, set aside.

~ Place butter and sugar in the bowl of stand mixer. Beat sugar and butter until light and well combined. Beat in the egg, vinegar and molasses. Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.

~ Gather the dough in your hands and knead and press into a large ball. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on the baking sheets, spacing each cookie 2 to 3 inches apart.

~ Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15 minutes for chewy cookies, and 18 minutes for crispy cookies.

~ Cool to room temperature on a baking rack.

~ Makes 36-40 cookies.

[images: flickr; amazon]

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~ Chunky Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle from Kacey’s Kitchen

~ Egg-Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies at Art of Dessert

~ Toffee S’mores Candy Cup from Timeless Gourmet

~ Cocoa Meringue Cookies at Inn Cuisine

~ Nanaimo Bars from Playing House

~ Just Fudge at Inside the Kaganoff Kitchen

~ Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte from Pennies on a Platter

~ Spicy Chocolate Bacon at Culinary Escapade

~ Tart Chocolat from Fresh New England

~ Chocolate and Candied Ginger Cake at Flagrante Delicia

~ Chili-Choco Sweets from Green Kitchen Stories

~ Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake at Mike Lesiuk

[image: flickr]

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I found these at Crepes of Wrath, and since I always have the supplies on hand to make chocolate chip cookies, I printed out the recipe and headed straight for the kitchen. They were easy enough to make, though the dough is a little different that what you’d normally be used to because the olive oil is liquid as opposed to the more solid butter, so there’s no creamed butter/sugar mix.

I have to say, it does make a very pretty cookie! The taste at first was a little underwhelming, but you can definitely tell they’re a bit different than a standard chocolate chip cookie, a little caramely, almost. They actually taste better the next day, and they stayed nice and chewy as well!

These would be great with a white chocolate chip, macadamia nut and craisin makeover, too!

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This one is from Daydreamer Desserts, and while the recipes are somewhat similar, this new one included the addition of sour cream. I have to admit that I couldn’t really taste the sour cream when the bread was finished, but it did help make for a light and fluffy batter when I was mixing it up!

Though this recipe was good, I did end up having to keep it in the oven for nearly fifteen minutes longer than it specified since the middle was still pretty gooey (I used the correct pan size, oven temp, etc), and the crust ended up being a bit crispier than what I like on banana bread.

No matter, though – it was still delicious and pulled double duty: I was able to pass it off on the kids last night for dessert night, and then they each got half a slice with their breakfast this morning too! The recipe can be found at Daydreamer Desserts.

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This holiday season, Hershey’s Kisses is inviting 1,000 holiday bakers and entertainers to celebrate by hosting a Hershey’s Kisses Cookie Exchange Party!

But it gets even sweeter: now through November 15, party hosts can even apply to have their cookie exchange sponsored by Hershey’s Kisses by visiting kissescookies.com. While there, you can also check out holiday cookie recipes, including Peanut Butter Blossoms and the Chocolate Almond Thumbprint cookie, and party planning tips, such as:

~ Invite guests at least two weeks in advance and ask all guests to RSVP with the cookie recipe they plan to bring to the party (this helps to avoid duplicates).

~ Give suggestions or include a unique recipe on every invitation in case guests don’t have a favorite recipe they would like to share. Ask invitees to bring printed recipe copies, a plastic container for taking home treats and a half-dozen or one-dozen cookies for each attendee, depending on the number of guests.

~ Return the favor by turning the cookie exchange into a gifting party – provide gift tags, gift bags and ribbons, and invite guests to assemble cookie gifts for co-workers, neighbors, teachers and friends.

Have you ever hosted a cookie exchange party? What are some tips and pointers you would suggest?

[image used with permission from hershey's]

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I’ll admit, these sound so great that I almost second-guessed myself with the brownie buttons I made yesterday for my sister’s visit today. But, I figure it wouldn’t hurt to have two desserts on hand, right? Especially with a couple of extra kids and some sweets-loving adults!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares
from TheStar.com

2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
1 tsp each: cinnamon, baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each: ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 12-oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

~ In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

~ In large bowl using electric mixer on medium-high, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla, then pumpkin. Reduce speed to low. Stir in chocolate chips.

~ Spread batter evenly into buttered and floured 9-inch by 13-inch baking ban. Bake in preheated 350F oven until toothpick inserted in centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs and edges begin to pull away from pan, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan before cutting. Makes 24 squares.

[image: flickr]

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After a few exchanges back and forth about what she and her husband and their daughters would like for dinner and breakfast, she requested that I also make these brownie buttons, a picture of which I had posted in a private family blog several months back.

I got started on them this morning (they hold up well for a couple of days after baking!) and are one of the easiest things to make. Though it only makes 18 little “buttons,” they’re the perfect treat after dinner, and doesn’t fills you up or makes you feel guilty.

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours (here’s the recipe), and I made a few changes: I didn’t add the orange zest, but I did add about half a cup of finely chopped walnuts, and I decided to dress them up just a bit and dipped the tops in some melted white chocolate.

I store them in a sealed plastic container at room temperature, and though this batch is being saved for tomorrow, the last one wasn’t even last for 24 hours, thanks to an appreciative husband and kids!

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I had never thought about adding chocolate chips before, though. I don’t know why, we all know that chocolate and bananas go well together! So, I found a recipe for a basic banana bread on the Food Network site, and using suggestions in the reviews I added chocolate chips and I also bulked up on the walnuts, because I love walnuts.

The bread came out dense and moist, and is delicious spread with butter. I made this Saturday night for our Sunday breakfast, and was lucky enough to get pictures before it was devoured by my family!

Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
1 cup sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

~ Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

~ Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled) and mix well.

~ With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.

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Despite that I’m very curious about the following links I’ve dug up. People actually bake with the creme eggs and some of them don’t look half bad! The creme filling in some of the pictures looks pretty gross but I don’t imagine it can hold up too well to heat

• Cadbury Creme Egg Muffins
• Cadbury Egg Cupcakes
• Homemade Marshmallow Creme Egg Cupcakes
• Cadbury Creme Stuffed Vanilla Cupcakes
• Deep-fried Cadbury Egg

Would you try any of these? I think I might try and surprise the kids with some of the muffins!

[image: flickr]

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• Chocolate Mint Bûche de Noël at Apple, Pie, Patis & Pate
• French Yule Log at Use Real Butter
• Easy Christmas Truffles at Shaved Ice Sundays
• Red Velvet Yule Log at Big Red Kitchen
• Martha’s chocolate chip cookies at Slow Like Honey
• French Yule Log at Lemonpi
• Dark Chocolate and Orange Tart at Kiss My Artichoke
• Chocolate Banana Cake at Chowtimes
• Chocolate Crackle Cookies at Butter and Sugar
• Graham Cracker Toffee at Eat Boutique
• Cookie Dough and Oreo Truffles at Good Eats ‘N Sweet Treats
• Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies at Lovin’ From the Oven

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