Molasses Ginger Cake (dairy-free)

Well it has been awhile! My goal is to post regularly in 2018. We have been baking and cooking but don’t post about it. As you can see on our Instagram feed @cookswithevie.

We made this cake when my niece had a sleepover, she can’t have dairy (milk products) so we served it with coconut whipped cream. It was very good. Though I prefer my gingerbread type cakes slathered in butter.

Yikes looks at those holes! That was a nice wine in the background too.

Basically here is what you do.

Whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves in a large mixing bowl.

In another bowl whisk oil, molasses, brown sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla.

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Whisk wet mixture into the four mixture just until combined.  Then whisk in the boiling water (I forgot to take a pic of that step).

This is what the batter looks like

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Here is the cake, baked and cooling.

Cit into squares and top with ice cream (non-dairy or regular if you have no intolerance), whipped cream or just plain.

Dairy Free Molasses Cake

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

3 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 ¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp ground cloves

¾ cup canola oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup honey

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla

¾ cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13 in baking pan and line with parchment.

Whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves in a large mixing bowl.

In another bowl whisk oil, molasses, brown sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla.

Whisk wet mixture into the four mixture just until combined.

Whisk in the boiling water.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

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Homemade Cough Drops

The air has changed this weekend. There is a chill in the air and the light has changed,the sun seems a little lower in the sky and there is less natural light in the house. Not great for picture taking. I have a dry tickle in my throat that I hope is just due to the air getting drier and not of anything else starting. Since it is a holiday we get to stay home, so we decided to give these cough candies a go. 

There are only a few ingredients, and I had all on hand. These are to use when you just need to keep your mouth and throat from being too dry, not in place of medication or a visit to the doctor if you are feeling under the weather. 

The recipe is from Noshing with the Nolans, take a look for detailed instructions. Basically, to a saucepan add 1 cup sugar, 1/2cup sugar, 1tbsp honey (I used unpasteurized buckwheat), 1/2tsp ginger, 1/2tsp cinnamon & 1/4tsp cloves, 1 tbsp lemon juice. Bring to a boil & boil until it reaches hard crack stage, about 20 minutes. That is 302 degrees Fahrenheit, you will want to use a candy thermometer.





Drop in little blobs onto a silpat or parchment, let cool.

Let cool and harden completely, the toss in confectioners sugar so they don’t stick together. 
Shake off excess sugar.  Store in a container until ready to use.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Evie is reading a new book from the library called “Eggs Over Evie” by Alison Jackson and she loves it.  It is about a 13 year old girl named Evie who loves to cook and is taking cooking classes, there is some other drama and family situations that make it interesting as well, but every chapter starts with a recipe and a kitchen tip.  She loves this book so much she asked for her own copy, which we ordered online.  It has also fired up her need to cook by herself.  Last week she decided to make cookies, all by herself, we were only allowed to lift the hot pan out of the oven.   There were really really good and perfect in shape and done-ness.  I hope you try them because they are sooo good, crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle.

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IMG_6502Sporting a Blue Heron airbrushed tattoo! We were at science fun-fest and all of the little girls were getting butterfly tattoos, nope not Evie, she eyed that Blue Heron stencil and decision made.IMG_6508

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This recipe comes from Winnie-the-Pooh’s Cookie Book.

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Right now she is in the kitchen making a recipe from her book.  This time it is chocolate chip pecan cookies, and announcing that she does not need any help.  Tomorrow she is going to make us Mushroom Omelettes for breakfast!

 

Empty Tomb Buns

Happy Easter!

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Evie has been learning the true meaning of Easter since she started school.  She goes to Catholic school so those things are taught from the beginning.  I was a little concerned at first with the Easter story because of the crucifixion, it was violent and horrific, not that people are any less violent and horrific today, but this was my little 4 year old child.  I had nothing to fear, the teachers taught it very simply, cleaned up and scaled down.  That first Easter in school Evie came home one day saying “Mom, do you know that they killed Jesus on a cross and he died.”  I said yes I knew that and it was not nice just because he was different.  She replied, “Don’t worry Mom, he got up again!” Now at almost 8, she has been preparing for her first communion all winter, she knows the details and tells me things I didn’t know.

This was the perfect year to start a tradition with empty tomb buns.  These were quick and easy to put together on Easter morning with just 4 ingredients.

1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls

8 large marshmallows

1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (this is very expensive to buy. I use 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1-2 tsp cinnamon)

1/4 cup melted butter

Unroll the dough  and cut into 8 squares.

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Take a marshmallow, dip in the melted butter then roll in cinnamon sugar.

 

Wrap the dough around the marshmallow and pinch the seams to seal. This represents Jesus in the tomb.

Place seam side down in a greased muffin pan.  Bake at 375F for about 9 minutes. First when I looked in the oven there was marshmallow oozing out of a few and it looked a bit of a mess, but it was ok.  I let them cool a couple of minutes and gently lifted the buns out using a spoon, then let cool on a baking rack for about 10 minutes or until room temperature, there is hot melted sugar inside so make sure cool enough before giving to children. Break the first one open together to see the inside, they will be amazed!

Then once cooled we added little icing crosses to the top (just a small tube of bought icing from the baking aisle).

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When you break open the bun, the tomb is empty!…..and delicious.

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These will be an Easter morning tradition at our house every year.