Maple Glazed Apple Cider Muffins (Vegan)

Sometimes the best recipes come from random things sitting in the fridge or pantry. Day after day I was opening my fridge and staring straight at an opened bottle of apple cider. The unfiltered kind from the bottled juice section at Trader Joe's, not the the sparkling variety. I don't like to give my family too much juice and had only bought this for a recent brunch. Finally I pulled it out determined to make something delicious out of it, and these muffins are the result. Just the right sweetness, so much warmth from the cinnamon, and a happy burst of maple glaze right on top!

These muffins are ridiculously easy and just SO. MOIST. They literally melt on your tongue. I credit that to the amount of juice used in the recipe. When you pour your batter into the cupcake cups you'll feel like its almost soup-y. Have no fear, that translates into softness! The brown sugar gives a lovely hint of molasses and of course contributes to the perfect texture in these gems. You'll notice there are no eggs..you don't need them! This recipe is developed for maximum fluffy texture, and eggs are more useful when you're aiming for a dense treat. We make up for the loss of moisture with more liquid :) The vinegar helps the muffins rise but I promise you can't taste it, don't leave it out!

Yields 15 muffins

Ingredients
---------------

-2 1/4 cups flour

-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3/4 cup brown sugar

-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

-3/4 teaspoon salt

-1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon cloves

-1 1/2 cups apple cider at room temperature (can also use apple juice) *If not room temperature, microwave for 30 seconds or so. Do not let the liquid get hot*

-1/2 cup vegetable oil

-1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

*Optional: 1/2 cup dried raisins or chopped walnuts/pecans

Glaze
--------
-1 tablespoon maple syrup (sub apple cider/juice if you do not have maple syrup)
-1/4 cup powdered sugar (you may need an extra tablespoon)

Instructions
----------------

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Line a cupcake pan with liners or spray cavities with a non-stick cooking spray. 

-In a large bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Mix together and set aside.

-In a medium bowl combine the apple cider juice , vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla.

-Add the wet (apple juice mixture) ingredients to the dry (flour mixture) ingredients and stir until well blended. Add optional raisins or chopped nuts.

-Fill the lined cupcake cavities 3/4 full and bake on a lower middle rack in oven for 18-22 minutes (mine were perfect at 20) or until a few moist crumbs stick to a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin.

-Remove the muffins from oven and allow to cool.

-While the muffins are baking, in a small bowl blend together the apple cider and powdered sugar mixture. I use a mini whisk to get a smooth texture. If the glaze is too runny, add a little bit more powdered sugar.
-When the muffins have cooled, dip the top of each muffin into the glaze and hold upside down while the extra glaze drips off back into the bowl. After I dip all the muffins, I like to re-dip each muffin again after the glaze has set a bit for a nice thick coating.  Allow glaze to harden and serve. Store extra muffins tightly covered at room temperature for 3-5 days.

-Enjoy!

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Try these other treats!

 Cardamom Date Tart

Vegan Orange Poppy-seed Muffins

 Walnut Baklava

Raspberry Oat Bars (or any other fruit jam!)

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is how I bake all these sweets and who eats them...the simple answer is that the unhealthy stuff is only made for special occasions or to be taken somewhere...I can honestly say that I've probably never made a batch of brownies or a cake just for my immediate family to snack on. What I do constantly bake is healthy stuff that still tastes delicious, like these banana muffins or my personal favorite thing in the whole world. I love enjoying healthy sweets in the mornings, and streusel oat bars are near the top of my list. Clearing out my fridge after my Thanksgiving re-do dinner got me thinking about cranberry sauce beyond turkey, and I decided to create a healthy oat bar. Most of what I found online had a minimum of 1 cup butter or 1 cup peanut butter. I'm all about healthy fat, but I didn't want a strong nut flavor in my fruit bars just to replace the butter. Oat bars should be chewy, dense and have a little crunch on top to balance out the soft sweetness of the fruit filling. These are just that, with a nice inclusion of healthy fats and complex carbs.

If you don't have cranberry sauce lying around, use any fruit spread you'd like...I'll be making these a lot and my next fruit flavor will be strawberry, after that is fig and then I'm planning on apricot....now that I don't have to feel guilty when I eat these they'll be around here often! The first time I made these bars I used my cranberry sauce but each time after that as I continued to develop the recipe I used different jams, and raspberry with lemon zest was a huge success. Experiment with different toppings, I sprinkled shredded coconut and pistachios on half my pan and the adults enjoyed those a lot. I contemplated chocolate chips but decided to stay true to the fruit flavor, although I'm not making any promises for the next batch :)

These are easy to make, require only 1 bowl, no mixer and are vegan! Even if you don't mind using dairy products, its nice to be able to bake when you're out of eggs. This is a great activity to get kids into the kitchen and my boys had a lot of fun sampling the oat mixture and pressing it into the pan.

Ingredients
---------------
-1 cup flour
-1 cup old fashioned oats
-2/3 cup brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 tablespoons cold coconut oil
-2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used a variety called Better 'n Peanut Butter, a 85% less fat spread I buy from Trader Joes)
-2 tablespoons orange juice (or almond milk, regular milk, water)
-1 teaspoon lemon zest
-1 tablespoon flax seeds (optional)

-1 cup raspberry jam (or other fruit)
OR
-1 cup cranberry sauce
-1 teaspoon cornstarch
-1/2 teaspoon orange zest

To make
------------
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 11x7 inch (2qt/2L) pan with foil (for easy removal) and spray with non stick cooking spray.

Jam is spread and the oat topping is next

-Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt and stir until well mixed. Then add the vanilla, coconut oil, peanut butter, orange juice, orange zest and flax seeds and mix well with a spatula until fully incorporated and crumbly.
-Using your hands, knead the oat mixture a minute and reserve 1 cup of the mixture. Pat the rest into your greased pan evenly and create a slight crust on the edges (this prevents the jam from spilling over the edges).
-Evenly spread the jam mixture over the oat layer, leaving about 1/4 of an inch all around the edges. This will spread out while baking. Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of oat mixture on top of the jam. Sprinkle with optional toppings.
-Bake on the lower rack of a preheated oven for 28-33 minutes (I took mine out at 30 minutes) or until the crumbled streusel topping looks puffed in the middle and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool, then cut into bars and enjoy. These do not need to be refrigerated and stay delicious for about 3 days (after that refrigerate or freeze to preserve freshness).
-Enjoy and don't forget to tag me in your pictures!

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Green Bean, Pomegranate and Sweet Potato Lentil Salad

So...maybe I'm on a lentil craze lately, but I can't help myself, the fiber content is just too awesome to ignore. I thought about this recipe a lot before I put it together. I wanted to create a salad that was different yet highlighted seasonal produce at their peak. Many of us are recovering from Thanksgiving and markets in America have readily made sweet potatoes and green beans available, so I put them together with some of my favorite ingredients for this satisfying, unique and unforgettable salad. Every ingredient will have you pausing in delightful surprise...who knew that green beans went well with pomegranates? Or sweet potatoes with lentils? Or that you could throw dates and maple syrup into a savory salad? Apparently I did, and I'm so excited to share it with you! A bonus perk is the fact that its paleo, gluten-free and vegan...score!

This is a sophisticated salad for the developed palette..."frou frou" ;)  The portion is just right for my husband and I to lunch on for a few days before its gone. The leftovers are BEAUTIFUL...nothing soggy or wilted, amazing for a salad! It also tastes great cold or at room temperature, which makes it a great picnic or potluck item to take and leave out without worrying about it going bad.

Serves 2 as dinner or 4 as a starter

Ingredients
---------------
-2/3 cup dry brown lentils or 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (any color works, I just used brown for color contrast to other ingredients)
-6 cups salted water
-One piece of red onion (optional, but this flavors the lentils while cooking)
-8 ounces (about 2 loosely packed cups) fresh green beans
-1 cup diced sweet potato
-1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
-4 medjool dates
-2 tablespoons thinly slivered red onion
-2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
-1 teaspoon cumin seeds
-1 scant tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 scant tablespoon maple syrup


To make
------------
-Wash and strain lentils. Place in a a saucepan with salted water and a piece of the onion and bring to a boil. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 30-35 minutes, or until the lentils are soft with a slight chew.
-While lentils are boiling, wash, stem and chop green beans into 1/2 inch pieces. Bring another pot of simmering water to a boil and drop green beans into the water. Boil for about 2 minutes then immediately strain from hot water and place into a bowl filled with ice and cold water. This is called blanching the beans and prevents them from over cooking to retain their bright green color and a crisp texture. Let the beans cool in the water for a minute then strain well from the water and place into your serving bowl.
-Heat the same saucepan used to boil the beans and saute (I didn't use any oil but you can if you'd like) the chopped sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and stir frequently. Cook for about 5 minutes, until browned on the outside and softened when you taste a piece. Once these are finished cooking, remove the pot from the stove and allow the sweet potatoes to cool completely, then add them to the green beans.
-Add the pomegranate seeds to your serving bowl.
-Pit the medjool dates and then cut into thin, long slivers. I cut about 7-8 slices from each date. Add the slivered date slices to the serving bowl.
-Chop the red onion and add to the serving bowl.
-Break up the walnuts into small pieces and add to the serving bowl.
-Add cumin seeds then drizzle olive oil and maple syrup to the other ingredients and gently mix the salad. Taste and adjust the salt seasoning. Salt really helps bring out the flavors and cut back on the sweetness, so make sure to season properly.
-Serve cold or at room temperature and enjoy!

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Mediterranean Lentil Soup

Syrian cooking does not include many varieties of soup, possibly because most of the dishes are 'soupy' and served with rice. However, this is a very traditional soup (with my little twists of course!) and is often served with kibbeh. I like to prepare a pot of this at the beginning of the week and heat some up for a quick lunch or after school meal. It is common to add shredded beef to the soup but in an effort to 'health-ify'  our food I almost never do that. Using vegetable broth will make this delicious soup vegan and I'm seriously in love with the high fiber and protein content in lentils! This soup is so easy to customize...feel free to add some leafy greens or celery...I like to switch up my additions and if I puree the soup at the end no one ever knows ;) 

Serves 6

Ingredients

--------------

-1 teaspoon olive oil

-1 medium onion, chopped into small cubes (about 1 cup)
-1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or a spice mix called "panch puran" which consists of fenugreek, mustard, fennel, black caraway and cumin seeds)

-3 cloves of garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

-1 cup small red lentils

-1 cup shredded or finely diced sweet potato (or carrots)

-2 tablespoons uncooked rice

-6 cups broth (you may need 1 more cup if your heat is too high as the lentils cook)
-1 teaspoon ground coriander
-1 teaspoon ground or fresh ginger
-optional: 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

-salt to taste

Optional garnishes: 
-lemon wedges 
-fresh parsley or mint leaves
-pita chips

To Make

------------

-Heat oil in a deep pot and add onions and cumin seeds. Sauté until onions are translucent, then add garlic and continue to sauté until onion and garlic have browned. 

-Add lentils, carrots, rice, broth, coriander and ginger (plus optional lemon pepper) and bring to a boil. Taste the broth mixture and add salt as needed. Once boiling, give the mixture a stir and then place the lid on the pot and turn heat to low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so as the lentils will settle on the bottom as they cook. If your mixture looks too thick, add more broth. The soup is ready when the lentils and carrots are soft. The ingredients will have cooked together and will have sort of 'melted' into the broth. You can either puree the soup for a smooth texture or keep it as is for a chunky consistency. I like to leave it slightly chunky.

-Serve with optional garnishes.
-Enjoy!

*You can easily make this in a slow cooker by throwing all the ingredients together and cooking on low for about 3-4 hours*

*If you are going to reheat the soup you will probably need to add a little water or broth because the lentils will cause the soup to thicken when cooled*

Warm up this winter season with some of my other SOUP recipes...I'm a huge fan of all them! 

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Sweetened Whole Wheat with Walnuts and Pomegranate

My kids really like this unique dish. We eat it for breakfast or a snack throughout the day and it's a great boost of energy that really fills us up. Traditionally it is a cultural treat called
Slee'a that Syrian's eat to celebrate the first tooth of a baby, signifying the baby's ability to chew foods.  Years ago a family friend introduced us to it with the addition of pomegranate and I was impressed with the flavor combination. Now, we only make it with these edible rubies and sweeten it with honey for added health benefits.

The flavors are simple yet complex, and you really only need 3 key ingredients (wheat, walnuts and pomegranate seeds) to make this. Feel free to swap out the honey with agave for a vegan option. Anise seeds or vanilla beans would be a good substitute for the fennel if you're looking for something different. Whole wheat is sold in many different forms, and I buy the peeled kind because it cooks faster. You can get 10 minute farro from Trader Joe"s and follow the simmer instructions on the back of the bag for boiling, then proceed with the rest of this recipe. You can also use unpeeled wheat, but will need to increase the boil time to about 40-45 minutes.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
---------------
-1 tablespoon fennel seeds
-2 cups rinsed and drained peeled whole wheat
-5 cups water
-1/3 cup honey (you can add more to sweeten to your liking)
-2 cups walnuts
-3 cups pomegranate seeds
-optional: 2 tablespoons flax seeds

To make
------------
-Place walnuts in a bowl and break into small pieces. Soak in water while completing the other steps. (You can skip this portion but I like to do it because it washes away some of the bitterness from the skin and gives the walnuts a fresher taste)
-Heat a medium sized pot on the stove and dry toast the fennel seeds until lightly browned and fragrant.
-Add 5 cups of water and 2 cups rinsed and peeled whole wheat.
-Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Loosely place lid on the pot (allowing some steam to escape) and simmer for about 15-20 minutes (stir every 5 minutes or so) until the whole wheat is tender with a chewy texture. There should be a little liquid left in the pot. If the wheat soaks up all the water, add a little more.  Remove from heat.
-Sweeten with honey and allow the mixture to cool completely.
-Once the wheat mixture is at room temperature, drain the walnuts from their soaking water and add them along with the pomegranate and flax seeds to the wheat. Stir to combine.
-Serve at room temperature or cold. Store in refrigerator for about 1 week.
-Enjoy!

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Roasted Garlic Acorn Squash Soup

I have this weird thing where as soon as it rains my brain thinks "SOUP." I can only eat soup when its cold out, otherwise I avoid it completely but in the back of my mind I'm dreaming of when the weather will allow me to enjoy it again. Like I said, weird. I'm a huge fan of all types of textured soups, from broth-y kinds to smooth purees to super chunky one-pot meals. Last year I made an acorn squash soup and have been waiting to make it again, and this year I've really perfected this recipe. Acorn squash is a good winter vegetable (I know it's really a fruit, because it has seeds...) to cook with because unlike it's cousins the pumpkin and the butternut, it's less sweet and therefore works extremely well in savory dishes. 

This squash is so good roasted that we ate half of it without even pureeing it. Roasting the squash on its own is a delicious side dish and you could stop at that part of the recipe and still have a winner. If you're weird like me and have been waiting for soup all year, I recommend you finish the process to the end and really enjoy yourself.

Pureed soups have a depth of flavor but can be lacking in texture. Since food is a sensory experience, I find the toppings are very important and add a lot to the finished product. Have fun experimenting with different topping combinations! 

Ingredients
--------------
-10 cloves garlic, peeled
-1 acorn squash, washed and cut in half
-1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
-1 tablespoon ground ginger
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon pepper
-1 teaspoon curry powder
-1 teaspoon mustard powder
-1 teaspoon marjoram
-1 teaspoon cumin seeds
-cooking spray or 1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 teaspoon olive oil
-1 cup chopped red onion
-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
-1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
-1/2-1 cup whole milk

optional:
-shredded parmesan cheese
-fresh chopped parsley
-toasted pumpkin seeds (or another toasted nut)
-pomegranate seeds
-croutons
-pesto or nut oil

Good enough to eat straight from the oven

To make
-----------
-Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
-Line a pan with foil and place acorn squash cut side up on the pan.
-Fill the squash cavities with garlic and evenlu sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, ground ginger, salt, pepper, curry powder, marjoram, mustard powder and cumin seeds all over the squash and garlic. Drizzle with oil or spray non-stick cooking spray over the seasoned squash.
-Place the pan in oven and roast for about 45-60 minutes, until the squash in tender and browned on the top.
-Heat a large pot on the stove and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add chopped onions and cook until soft and golden.
-Scoop out the acorn squash from its shell and place the squash and roasted garlic into the the pot.
-Add the broth to the pot. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth. (See * if you do not have an immersion blender)
-Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
-Stir in black sesame seeds and slowly add desired amount of milk. Using more milk will take away from the flavors of the spices.

*If you do not have an immersion blender, I recommend pureeing the squash and garlic with some of the broth and THEN adding it all together in a pot and bringing to a boil.

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Pumpkin Spiced Chili

I craved a hearty chili for several weeks before making this. Normally I'm not a huge fan of beans, but this year I'm liking them more and more. I considered making this dish completely vegetarian, but a true chili recipe has to include a meat! Feel free to replace this with ground turkey, chicken, tofu, pieces of pumpkin, sweet potato or butternut squash. I think it would still taste delicious, but it just perfectly hit the spot for us with ground beef. I served this with homemade pumpkin cornbread and it was a meal that no one complained about...which in a house with 3 little ones is a rare occurrence! They especially loved the idea of customizing their own bowls and got creative with their combinations.

Chili is even more flavorful the next day and this is a GREAT slow cooker recipe! After browning the onions, garlic and ground beef transfer to a slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer on low for a couple hours while you go about your day knowing that magic is taking place in your kitchen ;) If you are reheating the next day add a little water to thin out the chili as the beans will have soaked up the extra liquid and the flavors will be quite intense.

Serves about 4

Ingredients
----------------
-1 tablespoon oil
-1 cup chopped onion (about half of a large onion)
-5 garlic cloves
-1 tablespoon cumin seeds
-1/2 pound ground beef (I used 98% lean)
-2 tablespoons chili powder
-1 tablespoon coriander
-1/2 tablespoon all spice
-1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
-1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (a mixture of nutmeg, allspice, lemon peel, cloves and cinnamon)
-3 large tomatoes (or 1.5 cups canned tomato sauce)
-1 cup water (plus up to 1 cup more if your sauce is too thick)
-15 ounce can of cannellini beans (white kidney beans) drained and rinsed
-2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (optional...this adds more nutrition and gives the chili sauce a silky texture but is not critical for flavor)

Optional topping ideas
---------------------------
-Greek yogurt or sour cream
-shredded cheddar cheese
-cilantro
-diced tomato
-green onions
-avocado
-corn chips
-cornbread


To make
-----------

Browning the onions and toasting the cumin seeds

-Heat a dutch oven (ceramic pot...or any other pot) for a few minutes until it gets hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and let it heat for about 30 seconds.
-Add onion and let it cook for about 2 minutes on medium high heat
-Using a food processor, pulverize the garlic and add to onions.
-Add cumin seeds and continue sauteing until the garlic and cumin seeds become fragrant and the onions are soft.
-Add ground beef, chili powder, coriander, all spice, ground ginger and pumpkin pie spice and cook meat for about 5 minutes. You don't want to over brown the beef. Just cook it until the juices run clear and don't break it up too finely as you cook it.
-Wash tomatoes and chop into 4 large chunks. Place in food processor and pulverize until they are saucy. Add the tomato puree to the ground beef. Place the cup of water in the food processor and swirl it around to get the remained tomato puree and bits of garlic, then add the water to the pot.
-Add the drained and rinsed can of cannellini beans to the meat and tomato mixture.
-Add the pumpkin puree and stir. Taste the chili and adjust the seasonings to your liking. This is a good time to add salt.
-Lower the heat, cover the pot and let your chili simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is as thick as you like it and the beans and meat are soft.
-Top however you'd like and serve.
-Enjoy!

Pumpkin cornbread was the perfect side to soak up the chili sauce :)

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Browned Butter Ginger Molasses Cookies

 

I've been making these cookies for several years. They're the perfect chewy and soft gingerbread cookies. The recipe originates from a tea shop in New York called Alice's Teacup. Everything I've ever made from this cookbook is amazing.  So much so that if the cookbook has a recipe for something I'm looking to make, I won't do anymore searching for a better version. For a food blogger, that says a lot about my confidence in these recipes :) This past year I've been OBSESSED with anything salted caramel, and I'm constantly trying to sneak that flavor into anything I bake. So naturally this year when I went to bake these cookies again, I thought "Duh!" browning the butter will give a caramel-y flavor to these cookies without actually adding any more calories. Woohoo! And thus the transformation has taken place.  Browning butter is so fun and it adds such a depth and complexity to any baked good. I really think that 99.9% of the recipes out there will taste a million times better with browned butter. Especially this one. The nutty caramel aroma and flavor that the browned butter adds to these cookies just screams FALL.

 

Let's talk fall. Back to school, routine, cooler weather, the changing color of leaves, and the excuse to bake anything with pumpkin (look for lots of those recipes coming your way soon.)  I wanted to pass this recipe on for those who are itching to bake a fall-flavored treat and haven't gotten a chance to get some pumpkin yet. I spent a lot of time yesterday searching for the perfect pumpkin debut recipe for this season, only to get into my kitchen ready to start and discover that the can of pumpkin that I keep on reserve had been used up :/ Then I remembered these babies and all was right in the world ;)

 

 

Probably my favorite thing about getting rid of summer heat is that baking becomes fun again! During the summer I seek out recipes that don't require the use of my oven, and during the fall I seek out those that do! Between the amazing aroma that comes from browning the butter and the spicy scents of cinnamon and ginger as these bake, members of your family will be racing to the kitchen to get a taste.

 

 

Head's up! I've actually made this cookie dough as the base for a new recipe I'm working on...it's going to be awesome and I can't wait to share it with you all! More fall flavors (with actual caramel!) and no pumpkin. I know there are lots of fall lovers who just can't get themselves on the "We love anything and everything pumpkin" bandwagon. I'm here for you guys.  So make your first batch into cookies and get ready to enhance on these flavors again!

 

 



Ingredients
---------------
-2 1/4 cups flour
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon  ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1/4 cup white sugar
-1 egg
-1/4 cup molasses
-1 teaspoon vanilla
Additional 1/4 cup white sugar for sprinkling on cookies after baking

Rounded spoonful's are flattened and ready to bake

To make
------------
-Brown your butter: Heat a medium sized frying pan on medium heat. Add butter and whisk gently as it begins to melt. Keep whisking as the butter foams. Continue to whisk as you carefully watch for the color of the butter to go from light cream to a light brown. The aroma will start to smell like caramel...this is my favorite part! At this point remove from heat and continue whisking, making sure to scrape down the sides of the butter so nothing burns. If your butter has a lot of brown specs in it (some of the butter solids burned) then place a fine strainer over your mixing bowl and pour it through. Place the mixing bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the butter cools and begins to slightly firm up. *alternatively you can skip this step and use room temperature butter...
-Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a 2 quart bowl and set aside.
-Once your browned butter has cooled down, remove the bowl from the freezer. Add the brown and white sugar to the butter and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the egg, molasses and vanilla and continue mixing until mixture is smooth and well blended.
-At a low mixing speed, add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time until the dough is mixed.
-Transfer the batter back into the 2 quart mixing bowl that had the dry ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. I like to refrigerate the dough for a few hours. The flavors will absorb each other better and chilled cookie dough tends to bake better. You may also just refrigerate in your mixing bowl, but I like to transfer it to a Tupperware because I don't always bake all the dough at one time.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-After your dough has chilled sufficiently, remove it from the fridge and form tablespoon sized balls of dough and place them 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Using the back of a spoon, slightly flatten the balls of dough.
-Bake 8-12 minutes @ 350 degrees or until the cookies have spread out and are slightly browned on top.
-Remove from oven and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Cookies will crack as they cool to get the charmingly rustic look of ginger molasses cookies.
-Enjoy :)

*Your cookies will not bake properly if your dough isn't chilled!
*I make the dough up to 5 days in advance and bake when I'm ready...the flavors set in really well and the taste is amazing!

Nutritional Information
-----------------------------
Serving size: 1 cookie
Servings: 20
Calories: 162
Fat: 7.5g
Saturated fat: 4.5g
Total carbohydrates: 23.1g
Sugar: 12.1g
Protein: 1.8g

Straight out of the oven and piping hot!

 

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