Gingerbread

Yield: 3 dozen men
Baking Temperature: 350°F
Baking Time: 8-12 minutes

Ingredients

3 C AP flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 TB butter, room temperature
1/2 C dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
3/4 C molasses

Instructions

1. In large bowl, whisk together flour, spices, leaveners and salt; set aside.
2. Using electric mixer beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg and molasses.
4. With mixer on slow, gradually add drys until just combined.
5. Divide dough, flatten into discs wrapped in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or freeze).
6. Thaw before rolling.
7. Roll to 1/8" thick, cut into shapes, and in a preheated oven bake 8-10 minutes for soft or 11-12 min for crunchy cookies.

Ah, a seasonal recipe at last. I ended up giving away most of these little guys as a gift, which was well recieved (yay). I frosted mine using the frosting recipe from Sugar Cookies, partly just to see how they would come out, but frosting is totally optional. It's not hard, so don't limit yourself, but it doesn't really add a whole lot of flavor, just sweetness. The most important thing to note was how easy it was to roll these out. I tried a different recipe first and it was a huge struggle. This recipe is easy to roll! This makes a lot of gingerbread men so I cut them all out at once and put them on parchment paper for easy switching in and out of the oven.

Baklava Recipe

Here is a real crowd pleaser of a recipe. Good nuts and honey are expensive, but one batch can easily turn into three gifts or more. I don't know whether to call this "easy." Mostly it is assembly and requires minimal skills. But unlike my other "easy" recipes it is by no means quick. One thing it definitely is, is different. Give it a try this holiday season!


Baklava

Yield: 36 slices
Baking Temperature: 350°F
Baking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

16 oz phyllo dough, thawed
1 C unsalted butter, melted
16 oz blanched almonds, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)
1/4 C white sugar

Syrup Ingredients

1 C sugar
1 C water
8 oz honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. One day before baking thaw the dough.
2. Two hours before baking bring dough to room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F
4. Butter bottom and sides of a 9x13" pan, glass recommended.
5. Chop nuts (food processor recommended) and toss with spices and 1/4 C sugar.
6. Unroll phyllo dough and with a sharp knife cut the stack in half to fit pan size. Cover dough with a dampended cloth to prevent it drying out while you work.
7. Place two sheets of dough in pan.
8. Butter surface of dough thoroughly.
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 three more times.
10. Sprinkle 2-3 TB of nut mixture on top.
11. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, and nuts, layering as you go. You will lay down nuts about 14 times.
12. Make the top layer 6-8 sheets deep and butter but do not nut the top.
13. Using a sharp knife, cut down, half an inch shy of the bottom, first columns then crosscutting to make diamond shapes.
14. Bake 50 min until dough is golden and crisp (this is where the glass pan helps).
15. While the baklava is baking, make sauce.
16. Begin by making simple syrup (boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved) then add vanilla and honey. Don't add cool honey to hot sauce.
17. Simmer 20 mins, stirring occasionally, cool sauce to room temperature then refrigerate.
18. Remove baklava from oven when done and after a few minutes pour cooled sauce over hot baklava. Alternately you can cool the baklava down and pour hot sauce over cool baklava; the temperature difference prevents sog.
19. Cut all the way through when completely cool.
20. Use cupcake papers or doilies to serve.

Tips

• Phyllo/Fillo/Filo dough is available in the freezer section near the pies and desserts and comes in one pound boxes.
• Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter on the pan and dough. Silicone pastry brushes are durable and easy to clean.
• I use blanched almonds that I chopped further in a food processor. Some people like chunky nuts or powdery nuts, you decide. Almonds are a good bet being locally grown but you could try mixing with hazelnuts or walnuts. Always use nuts without skins as the skins are bitter. Skins are removed by a simple process called blanching.
• Don't forget the top layer of butter as it is responsible for the brown color you'll be observing for doneness.
• Before you start to cut think out how to get diamond shapes: straight cuts the length of the pan with cross cuts at a certain angle for the diamond.
•  Will last a long time in the fridge (uncovered!) as honey is a preservative.
• The history of baklava is contested with both the Turks and the Greeks claiming invention!