Ginger Cream Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

I am not a big fan of gingerbread cookies, never have been. But my 4 year old has a Christmas book that I read to him and the Mom makes gingerbread men with the kids. He has been begging me to make them, so I finally caved. I found this recipe on "A Bountiful Kitchen's" blog and to my surprise they were AMAZING! I ate like 7 cookies that night and felt sick afterwards. The icing is absolutely amazing! You must try this recipe, gingerbread lover or not!

Ginger Cream Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

adapted from "A Bountiful Kitchen"

Cookies:

2 cubes or 1 cup butter

1 cup molasses

1 cup white sugar

1 rounded teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves (only used a tiny little pinch of cloves, not the whole tsp. I'm not a clove lover)

1 teaspoon salt

2 beaten eggs

1 tablespoon baking soda, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

6 cups flour, approximately 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring butter, molasses, sugar, spices and salt to boil. Cool.

Pour into large bowl.

Add two beaten eggs.

Add the soda/ water mixture to the batter. The batter will foam up a bit.

Add the flour 1 cup at a time. After mixing in flour, add more if needed to produce dough that is not too sticky to roll out. Roll out a portion of the dough with floured rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Using a cookie or biscuit cutter 2 1/4 inch in diameter, cut the cookies and place on ungreased cookie sheet. ( I used a gingerbread man, christmas tree and candy cane cookie cutters.)

Bake for about 8 minutes at 375 degrees. Ice while cookies are warm.

Brown Butter Icing:

1 cube or 1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup cream, half and half or milk (if you want the icing to be thin, use milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 lb powdered sugar

dash salt

Brown butter over medium heat in saucepan. Remove from heat as soon as butter turns golden. Add rest of ingredients. Ice cookies while still warm.

yield about 4 dozen cookies.

Tips:

-To brown butter, place in a sauce pan over medium heat. Swirl butter around occasionally and watch very closely. It is done when it is a golden brown color. This gives the icing a nutty flavor. 

- Don't need to be refrigerated, but you may refrigerate after assembling the dough.

- Clear counter space, you'll need it to leave the cookies out till the icing is set up.

- Once you start baking, you need to make the icing, so it will be ready when the cookies come out of the oven.

- These cookies freeze well 

Hot Artichoke Dip

This weekend we had a much needed get together with great friends, an "Ugly Christmas Sweater Party". It was fantastic. We had good food and great company! I have had a request to post my Hot Artichoke Dip recipe that we served at the party. So here goes...

2- 8 oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup of mayo
1 small can mild green chilies
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (NOT marinated artichokes)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (for the top of the dip)
3/4 cup good melting cheese of your choice ( I like a combo of mozzarella and sharp cheddar)
1 egg

Mix all ingredients (minus the parmesan) together in bowl. Spread in a 9 x 13 baking dish and sprinkle top with parmesan cheese. Bake @ 400 for about 20 mins or until cheese is melted and bubbly and starts to brown around the edges. Serve with sliced baguette, pita chips and veggies.

Baked Potato Soup

Okay, I have to give a disclaimer for my recipes, I cook with flavor which means I use butter and olive oil liberally.  So needless to say my recipes are not for the faint of heart, haha.  But, my food tastes good and if you are concerned just cut your portion size down and you will be fine.

Recipe:  

1 lb bacon
4 tbls butter
1 large yellow onion chopped
4 stalks celery chopped
Pinch salt
3 cloves garlic minced
4 C water
4 C chicken stock (see note)
1 bay leaf
7 C yukon gold pototoes cut into 1 inch chunks
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 C flour
1 quart half and half
1 1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese and more for garnish
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chopped green onions for garnish

If you have a large enameled cast iron pot, I find that it creates a better scald on the bacon which gives the soup a deeper more rich flavor.

Step 1:  Slice bacon into 1 inch chunks and cook on med/high heat in cast iron pot.  Cook until fat is rendered and the bacon has become almost crispy.  Take bacon out with slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels, and drain grease out of pot.  Do not scrape brown bits out, thats flavor.

Step 2:  Add butter, onions, celery and pinch of salt to pot.  Add garlic last so it doesn't burn.  Cook till almost tender.  Add water, bay leaf and chicken stock (NOTE: boil 4 cups water and disolve 6 chicken bouillon cubes) 

Step 3:  Add potatoes and cook till tender on medium/low heat, about 20 mins.  When they are almost done, start the rue to thicken the soup.  In a small sauce pan, melt 1 stick butter until bubbling, med heat.  Stir in flour and cook for 2 mins.  Remove from heat and stir into potato mixture.  It will thicken quick. 

Step 4:  Add 1/2 the half and half stir and see where the consistency is.  If you want it thinner add the rest of the half and half, I like it with all the half and half.   Add cheese and let melt.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, I like Morton's Kosher salt because it has a sweeter taste and is just better.  Garnish with chopped green onions and more cheese and enjoy. 

First Post for the MagPie Foodies

It's fall and that means soup season!!  With the cold nights and warm days, there is nothing better than fixing a big pot of soup for your family and sitting around after a long day at the office of with the kids.  Toast some crusty bread and you have an entire meal with not so much effort.  We look forward to creating recipes together and bringing something new and simple to the table. 

The fun thing about this blog is that it will keep old friends together through the food that we love to eat.  I look forward to getting to know my friends through food, which I think is a good language to use.  Anyways, look for great things to come from MagPie Foodies.

Thanks,

Josh