Chewy Gingersnap Cookies Recipe

Nothing says "the holidays are here" quite like homemade chewy gingersnap cookies.  Are they still considered gingersnaps if they are chewy?  Either way, these cookies have the perfect blend of spice and sweetness.  This recipe is a favorite of my husband's from his mom's repertoire.  We got the recipe from her, and these were easy, relatively quick to make, and so yummy!

Chewy Gingersnaps
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
White sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream shortening, brown sugar, and molasses together.  Add the egg and mix together.  Next, add dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.  Form dough into cookie balls, then roll in white sugar.  I like to put the sugar in a shallow bowl for this step.  Place cookie balls on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  They will look a little underdone in between the cracks when you pull them out, but this is how they stay chewy.  Leave them on the cookie sheet to cool for another 5-10 minutes.

Lifestyle Crafts- New Embossing Folders Coming Soon

Lifestyle Crafts has some really fun Goosebumpz Embossing Folders coming out next month, so I thought I'd give you a little sneak peek at some of the new ones today!  These are some of my very favorites, and you can head over to see the rest on Lifestyle's website:

I am loving these!  There are about twelve more new ones as well, all coming out in January.  I still haven't gotten me an Evolution machine yet, since I am holding out for a letterpress combo pack (which I'm told will also be arriving in January), but I will definitely be saving some of my Christmas money for some of these embossing folders.

And, as always, don't forget to use code "AUDZIPAN" to get 20% off of your order. 

Molten Cake Neighbor Gifts

For our neighbor gifts this year, we decided to go with a fun treat that didn't necessarily have to be eaten right away.  Let's be honest, there's a huge overload of sugary treats this time of year, so why not give something that can be saved until all the festivities die down?  For this quick and easy gift, all you need is a box of cake mix, a recipe card, and a piece of festive ribbon.  I also added some cute Christmas cards that I was able to get on a deal last month.

I included the recipe for a family favorite-- single serving molten chocolate cake.  I would totally give you a printable for the recipe, but my computer did an auto-update before I had a chance to save the file.  Here's the recipe, though:

Single Serving Molten Chocolate Cake
 1/2 cup chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup water
Hot fudge
Chocolate or white chocolate chips
Whipped topping or ice cream
 
In a microwave safe, cereal size bowl, stir cake mix and water together for one minute.  Top with five generous teaspoons of hot fudge and sprinkle on some chocolate or white chocolate chips.  Microwave 95 seconds.  Top with ice cream or whipped topping.  

The best part about this recipe is that you can really do any variation you can think of with the chocolate chips and toppings.  Hot fudge is a must if you are going for the molten cake taste.  Since baking supplies are generally on sale this time of year, you should be able to make these for a pretty reasonable price.  I was able to get the cake mixes for about a dollar at Winco, but I think it's a really great gift for that cost.

Good luck to any last-minute gifters!  We were able to finish all our shopping today, and boy does it feel great.

Merry Christmas 2012

Here's our Christmas card this year.  We tried a few photos with both of the girls in the car, but it was a tight fit and there weren't any shots with both of them happy...  I saw the idea online somewhere a while ago and modified it for us, adding the polka dot background and saying.  We got them printed as 4"x6" photos, which is my biggest tip for saving money on cards and invitations, if you have the graphics programs you need to make the image.

Stay tuned tomorrow for an easy neighbor gift for all you last-minuters out there.  Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!

Ghosts of Christmas Projects Past

I feel like I ought to explain myself a little bit.  I have been less than dedicated to the blog for a while.  Between finishing our basement completely on our own, being pregnant with our third girl (due in March), and starting a fun new business with my mom(reveal soon), I have been totally occupied with other things. 

Also, it's not like I haven't been doing things, it's just that they never make it to the blog.  Funny how that goes.  I hope that once the basement is done I can get back to more of the fun stuff I usually get to do, instead of drywall, mud, and wiring.

So instead of sharing something totally new today, I am sharing some of my favorite Christmas projects from years past.

 Reindeer Welcome Sign

Felt Mitten and Stocking Advent Calendar

 Marshmallow Peppermint Pie

Winter Wreath Chandelier

Easy Dipped Oreos