Take Back Thursday Gingerbread Delights #TBT

Since Chrismas falls on Thursday this year, I thought it would be fun to re-use my favourite Christmas cookie recipe today and show you how I decorated my gingerbread cookies this Christmas. I'm just posting early since I know I'll be a little busy tomorrow!  

This year I bought a reindeer cookie cutter and created little reindeer and Santa combos to munch with milk, eggnog, or whatever our hearts desire tonight. And, if there are any left, Santa will get some too! 

Enjoy your holiday tomorrow! Best wishes from my home to yours! 

Tangy Chocolate Christmas Cookies

To me, chocolate is the king of desserts and cookies are the king of Christmas desserts. So that means that chocolate cookies must top the list, right? I like to think so.

This Christmas I felt like making a few new cookie recipes in addition to my tried and true favourites,  just for the fun of it. And clearly that meant trying a new chocolate Christmas cookie.

I taste tested my way through a few different recipes, a really tough job, and finally create this recipe - one so good that it will be pulled out all through the year! These cookies are tangy, rich, decedent, and pretty healthy too because it's almost all chocolate and that's dairy!

So let's get down to the recipe for my new Tangy Chocolate Christmas Cookies! You have to try these!

Grinch Cookies!

I love everything about about Christmas, but watching a Christmas movie while munching on homemade cookies would have to be my very favourite holiday activity. And to make this year's favourite activity even more festive, I made a new cookie that's inspired by one of my favourite holiday movies, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas!

I've enjoyed matcha tea, a powdered green tea, in lattes for awhile but adding it to a batch of cookies is the perfect way to naturally dye my cookies a delightfully grinchy green. And simple pink piped hearts, three sizes too small, adds to the Who-ville experience in a way I know every single one of you will agree.

So get out your mixing bowls and cookie sheets to bake up a batch of what I think is going to turn into everyone's new holiday favourite - Grinch Cookies!

Sailing Snacks

I love going sailing on a sunny Sunday afternoon and while I am may not be the most knowledgeable sailor in board the boat, I do have a very important job. I am the snack-tician. 

A tactician plans the course of the race and it's their job to anticipate any problems that might arise. A snack-tician's role is even more important because it is their job to plan out snacks prior to the leisurely sail and ensure that there are enough goodies to enjoy for the entirety of the sail. 

But what makes the perfect snacks for sailing? That's a tough question. It needs to be finger food so it can gobbled up quickly. And it needs to be clean because where you put the napkins on the boat? And really, my stomach gets upset on a boat so having something to comfort it wouldn't hurt. 

That's when I had the perfect idea, gingerbread cookies, shaped like sailboats for a little extra cuteness.  They're finger food, clean, and the ginger would help anyone's stomach if needed. 

Chocolate and Cherry

Sometimes I wonder what I like more, chocolate or cherry. Chocolate is rich and I usually get happy with just one or two little pieces, but cherries are healthy so it's ok to eat a big bowl of them. It's a hard call to make what option I should choose.

Luckily today's post combines the best of both worlds. That's right, the shortbread recipe I am sharing today is full of chocolate and cherries. No more deciding which option I'll get to enjoy because I get both in one deliciously easy to whip up cookie.

And can you imagine these shortbreads as ice cream sandwiches? I'm drooling just thinking about it!

Bunny Love

Who doesn't love cookies? To me cookies symbolize a holiday because I always have some delicious little buttery morsels at Christmas, Easter, and other celebrations. While I might make a batch of chocolate chip cookies now and then throughout the year, I tend to choose to bake an easy cake rather than individual little cookies more often.

But considering how much I love cookies, I think that should change. And I think you might tend to agree with me when you see how perfect these Linzer Cookies came out. They're so much easier than you would ever guess!

Red Carpet Cookies and a Giveaway! #ChexRedCarpet

I love watching the Oscars and the count down to the show on March 2 is already on at my house. I know a few of you might think that it's a little early to be thinking about the Oscars, especially with the Olympics still being on, but I need time to plan.

Every year I love to create fun food to serve while we watch the Oscars that is themed around at least one of the movies up for an award. This year is no different and my movie of choice of Gravity. I loved Sandra Bullock's performance and I loved the adrenaline that came from watching the movie - there wasn't much about it I didn't like.

Well there was one part I wish had been different, but I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet....

At first I thought I might just get a few astronaut ice cream sandwiches. That would be easy and fun. But after tasting one, I knew that could not be only themed treat I'd serve. They are fun to think about, but I wouldn't write home about how they taste.

So I racked my brain a little more and came up with a new approach. Instead of serving something that astronauts might eat in outer space, I'll serve something that resembles something in outer space - a moon to be exact.

I know you're going to try these easy Chex Moon Cookies so read on for my recipe. And also read on for an opportunity to win a great prize pack - perfect to use the next time you're serving a special dessert.

Merry Christmas from Delish in a Dish

My family is opening up stockings, enjoying freshly baked breakfast pastries, and drinks mimosas right now. It is a fabulous day and thank you for spending a moment of your time to join us. 

Today I am sharing a cookie recipe from a cookie exchange I went to this year, because if you're anything like me - you always have room for another cookie, especially on Christmas! 

I love these cookies because they're easy to make and delicious, perfect for a Christmas afternoon treat. I used preserves I received as a gift from the Preservation Society, a small Montreal preservation company that makes wonderful little jars of goodness, to fill my Sacher Torte Cookies. 

I used a mix of the traditional apricot jam (Preservation Society's Apricot Jam with honey and chamomile) and some of their special batch wild strawberries soaked in elderflower liquor. I think I need another taste to figure out which one I liked best! 

A Canadian Christmas Tradition

I don't know about the majority of people in Canada, but baking cookies is one of the biggest traditions we have during the holiday season. My mom and Nana used to bake tins of all sorts of types of cookies and froze them for the holidays. Then they would pull out little platters of them for dessert and tea throughout December. Now I do the same. 

The only thing that's different about my cookie baking is that I cannot decide on the list of cookies I should be baking. Any of my family could tell you Nana's list of holiday baking, but my list is ever changing. 

This year my cookie platters will have some of Canadian Living's new Cranberry Pistachio Tree Cookies, and as much extra effort as they are, I am very glad I made them. Just be sure to follow then recipe when it says to blanch and peel your nuts because it helps them stay a beautiful bright green. And learn from my mistake, you can actually buy shelled pistachios!

Melt My Heart

I might live in one of the warmest areas of Canada, but it's still cold here in December. In fact, I don't even like going outside this time of year, unless I have to. And when I have to, I always like to warm up when I'm back inside with a cup of tea and a delicious treat. 

Today's post is a holiday cookie I made from Canadian Living's November magazine that brings the taste of winter indoors so you don't even have to get outside in order to enjoy a cookie. Instead, just eat one of these Minty Meltaways to feel like you're outside and then eat another cookie to warm yourself up. 

Movember - Mo Sistas, Mo Cookies, and Mo-re

I like to think of myself as a Mo Sista this month. But before you start thinking I've been quietly growing a moustache behind your back, let me tell you that being a Mo Sista means helping to raise money and spread awareness in the battles against testicular and prostate cancer and mental health - all through the power of a moustache.

To start my journey as a Mo Sista, I decided I should put my talents to use and cook, bake, and creatively name my goodies. I thought about things that would be easy to make, fun to name, and about celebrity moustaches because what's a moustache without the likes of Burt Reynolds?

To start the fun I like the idea of inviting my good friend Burt Reynolds over for some Beet Reynolds Soup with mo croutons. :)

Read on for my recipe and save room for some Easy Mo Cookies. Then, if you're feeling generous, please click here to donate to a local Victoria, BC Movember team.

My Recipe is in Country Woman Magazine!

Awhile ago I received a really exciting email from someone at Taste of Home magazine. I was told that they were considering using one of my recipes in a magazine and they wanted to know a little more about me. I quickly answered all of their questions and waited patiently for a response to hear if I made the cut.

After a couple of weeks of waiting patiently, I still hadn't heard back and I pretty much gave up. I knew lots of people had probably received the same email and there was only so much space in the magazine.

But last week something really exciting happened. I found a strange thick envelope in my mailbox and when I opened it up I found out that my recipe was actually chosen and featured in a Christmas edition magazine! The editor referred to me as "staff" and that made these cookies taste even sweeter than they did the first time I made them.

Check out my previous post for Rosemary and Lemon Tree Cookies, visit Country Woman's website, or pick up a copy of Country Woman to see me in print! :)

My Cherished Canadian Recipe

For this month's Canadian Food Experience Project our challenge was to share a cherished Canadian recipe. It took me a little while to come up with what I would choose to share, but when it came to me, I was certain it was perfect. 

I grew up eating my Nana's shortbread cookies. Chocolate dipped, cookie pressed, plain, decorated, with a cup of tea, or without. I just plain love eating them. I know shortbreads may not seem like a Canadian recipe, but they definitely are Canadian to me. So many of our population came over from the UK and Scotland and joined our lovely country. And since I reinvented my Nana's recipe and added in some lavender bought from a lovely little Canadian farm, I know these particular shortbreads are one hundred percent Canadian. 

I chose to leave my lavender flowers whole, rather than mashing them into my sugar. I thought it gave the cookies a small farm look and pretty texture, but I know they'd be great however you choose to make them. Read on for the recipe!

Guest Posting on Rants From My Crazy Kitchen

Yesterday I guest posted on Rants From My Crazy Kitchen and I think I brought a really excellent creation to the table. I love lemon meringue pie but I wanted  to make it into a slightly more everyday style dessert. What I ended up creating were Lemon Meringue Thumbprints, and they're delicious!

I'll let you head over to Rants From My Crazy Kitchen to read my full post, but I'll post my recipe here now. I just can't resist sharing my new delicious cookie with you in as many ways possible!

A Cup of Happiness

I love heading to my local Farmer's Market and picking out fruit for a weekend brunch fruit salad, but I'm always looking for new ways to make my fruit salads sparkle. Sometimes I add in special fruit like gooseberries with their little wrappers still on or star fruit cut into slices and slipped onto the sides of bowls for a special garnish, but today I've topped all my previous tricks. Today I've finally made successful Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups to serve my fruit salad in! 

I've tried to make chocolate chip cookie bowls before but I've failed miserably every single time. I think my biggest problem was that my dough has always been too soft and wet so my cookie bowls slid down their moulds into sloppy messes. This time my dough was very dry and my cookies stayed in place and baked to perfection. 

Now my only problem is that I'm going to need to go to the Farmer's Market again because we've eaten all the fruit in my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups! 

Breakfast Fanatic

I used to be someone that didn't bother with breakfast. I would rather skip the time it took to make it, eat it, and tidy up in exchange for a few precious extra minutes of sleep. Now, I don't know how I did that because I love breakfast!

I love waking up in the morning and knowing that I'm going to be doing my body good by eating something healthy and delicious. And Dorset Cereals' muesli and granola served over yogurt are some of the best quick and easy breakfasts that I've discovered recently - and I should know because I was given all seven of their yummy versions to try!

So other than a quick and easy breakfast, why do I think you should try Dorset Cereals? Here are my top five reasons:

1. They're from Poundbury, England - a lovely village created by the vision of Prince Charles. Who doesn't love England?

2. There is no added sugar or preservatives - they contain only natural sweeteners.

3. There's enough whole grains and goodness to keep you full from breakfast to lunch.

4. With seven awesome flavours, there's enough to choose one per day of the week so you'll never get bored.

5. They make really good, chewy cookies too.

If you don't believe me about the cookies, read on for a great recipe!

Cottage Bound

I love heading up to the cottage, but whenever I go it seems to rain for at least one afternoon or evening. And rain means we miss out on a campfire with s'mores - one of my favourite things about cottaging.

So, this year I have been planning alternative treats for days when true campfire s'mores aren't possible and I think that I've come up with a real winner. My dessert involves cookies, marshmallows, and it's certainly gooey, so I know it will invoke all the feelings of s'mores. Plus it's fun, so hopefully everyone will smile in spite of the bad weather!

Read on for my fun Dessert Poutine recipe. It tastes as good as it looks!

Twelfth Night

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Eleven Peppermint Meringues, ten Yuletide Toffee Squares, nine Date Turnover Cookies, eight Werther's Caramel Peanut Butter Thumbprints, seven Swan Cream Puffs, six Orange Toffee Cookies, five Shortbread Wreaths, four Sesame Seed Shortbreads, three Snow Covered Chocolate Torte Cookies, two Turtle Cookies, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree Thumbprint!

And they're all stored in my freezer in a few big drums!

Ok, I know this is a bit of a cop out. What I wanted to share on the twelfth day of Christmas was my favourite recipe for Gingerbread Cookies again, I wanted to ice some drums on some of the gingerbread man cookies to create 12 drummers drumming. But I'm not quite ready to bake gingerbreads yet. I always bake them on Christmas Eve! So until Christmas Eve I'm going to leave you with a great photo of one of my favourite pups in the world, Olli!

Piped Happiness

I thought long and hard about what kind of cookie to make for the ninth day of Christmas and all that came to mind when I thought about eleven pipers piping was cookies decorated with beautiful piped icing. 

But Christmas should be about creating good memories, not painful memories and I hate piping icing onto cookies - it's just too much work! So I decided that piped icing cookies were definitely out. 

When I sent myself back to the drawing board I thought of a great recipe to share, piped meringues! And these meringues are as easy to make as they are delicious to eat too, so I know you'll want to try them. Read on for the recipe!

Lord's a Leaping

When you think of a lord, which country do you think of? I think of Scotland where there are tons of gorgeous old castles and lords living in them.

And when you think of Scotland, what food do you think of? I think of oatmeal, hearty and strong oatmeal. 

When you see the cookie that that the tenth day of Christmas has brought, along with ten lord's a leaping, you may think that I took a leap in the dark when I selected it. But I think that these cookie bars will more likely leap into your mouth. They aren't my mom and Luke's favourite Christmas treats for nothing. :)