All Gingered Up

First of all, if you are in the Jackson, MS area and are looking for some good Christmas music I'd like to invite you to my church Christmas music...Prince of Peace. It is tonight at 7 pm and Sunday at 6 pm at Morrison Heights Baptist Church just off I-20 in Clinton! Okay, onto the baking!!!

I am now out of school for Christmas break!!!! SO ready for it as I've worked everyday except one since Thanksgiving. I haven't started Christmas baking, but Ive decided what I'm making....a Christmas mint brownie my mom made, Russian tea cake type cookie - except it's a Greek recipe, a fruit topped shortbread from some foreign country, and peanut butter fudge. I bought the ingredients today...so be sure to stop by over the next few weeks for the results!

Meanwhile, I have done some baking for my medicine team...the Green team! We are on a q4 call schedule which means that every fourth night, we're on call. I've baked twice for call days - when it was on the weekend. The first time I made some ginger molasses cookies. Part of my reason for making these is that my medicine partner was pregnant and had been having some morning/evening sickness, and ginger is supposed to be an anti-nausea herb. Another reason I wanted to try this recipe (from Baking Bites) is that they use oil instead of butter. I did make a couple of minor changes but they actually turned out well...not too flat or too crispy and the black pepper (in my opinion) adds a good amount of spice. Our resident really liked them and so did Sarah...I think you will, too! Spiced Up Ginger Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp each allspice and black pepper
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup sugar, for rolling
Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and vegetable oil. Beat in egg and molasses until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until well combined. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in coarse sugar (or scoop the dough directly into the sugar...that's what I do) and place on baking sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes until very lightly browned. Let cookies cool for 3-5 minutes on cookie sheet, then remove to a wire rack until cool.
Makes 3 dozen.