Triple Ginger Cookies!

After being sick for 2 weeks, what better way to come back to baking than use the miracle root Ginger.  Ginger has helped me through many a cold and stomach ailment.  I am paying homage to it in what I would call a cookie that is "good" for you.

2 1/4 Cups Flour
2 tsps Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsps Ground Ginger

**Sift and Set aside**

1 stick Melted Butter
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Grated FRESH Ginger

**Mix in mixer until well incorporated** Add dry ingredients to the butter/ginger mixture**

3/4 Diced CRYSTALIZED Ginger - I found mine at Trader Joes.  Penzy's also carries it.

**Add diced ginger to the dough mixture**

Scoop into 1 inch balls and roll each ball in either white sugar or raw sugar for more texture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Vanilla Cream Caramels

It's candy thermometer time!  This is one piece of equipment that you cannot do without if you are making candy.   A couple other pieces for caramel (in my opinion) is a good enamel cast iron pot and a heat proof spatula that can withstand high temps.  The pot helps dispurse hot spots and having a silicone spatula prevents you from having melted plastic in your caramel.



Careful!  Stir carefully!

Caramel ingredients are pretty basic.  Key here is TEMPERATURE!  Too cool and you get a caramel sauce, too hot and you get English toffee.
1 Cup Heavy Cream


2 Sticks Butter

2 Cups Sugar

2 Cups Light Corn Syrup

• Combine in a heavy bottomed pan and stir constantly until it reaches 244 degrees

• Remove from heat

Slowly stir in 1 cup of Heavy Cream

• Return to heat and bring to 244 degrees
• Pour into parchment lined sheet pan.

• Allow to set for 4 hours at room temperature

• Cut and wrap.  Sometimes I get lazy and just give people slabs of the stuff so they can cut their own chunks off.

Makes 3 pounds of caramels