The Holidays are an exciting and busy time of year. Between preparing treats and keeping children occupied, it’s a wonder we have time to deck the halls at all. Hopefully these little pretzel Christmas trees keep it super simple with a quick recipe while also making a fun and inclusive activity for kids or anyone young at heart!

Things you’ll need

• 1 cup green chocolate candy melts
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• pretzel sticks
• squeeze bottle
• sprinkles
• baking sheet
• parchment paper
• microwaveable glass dish
• spatula

Place parchment paper onto a baking sheet and stager pretzels with enough room for decorating.

Heat the candy melts in a glass bowl in your microwave, mixing every 30 seconds until smooth. Add the coconut oil and stir. With a spatula, guide the chocolate mixture into a squeeze bottle.

Squeeze the chocolate into tree shapes onto all of the pretzel sticks and add your sprinkles.

Let the trees completely cool down and harden before removing them from your baking sheet.

Clean up tip: Let chocolate harden inside the squeeze bottle. Gently squeeze the bottle and the chocolate will crumble out!

The post Pretzel Christmas Trees appeared first on Super Simple.

Spring has sprung! Or almost, at least! When I think of Spring and Summer time I think of being outside, swimming, enjoying the sunshine and when it comes to food – I think of cooling, delicious, healthy foods that work well for ourselves and our children’s bodies.

When we eat foods that are local and in season, our bodies can digest them much easier because they are what is natural in our environment around us at that given time. When we start eating according to our environment around us, we produce the enzymes necessary to break these foods down properly. Our body wants to be in homeostasis – a state of balance – so when we give it the opportunity to do this it will thank us!

In Spring and Summer, our bodies crave cooling foods that will help produce an alkaline internal environment. Hot, fiery, warming foods are for fall and winter, and can actually produce an acidic environment for our guts during the summer months

Here is a list of foods that you will start seeing pop up at your local farmer’s markets and health food stores this Spring/Summer season. Some foods are in season in almost year round, like honey!

May

• Rhubarb
• Asparagus

June

• Strawberries
• Rhubarb
• Peas
• Lettuce
• Cherries
• Beets
• Beans
• Asparagus

July

• Tomatoes
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Potatoes
• Plums
• Peppers
• Peas
• Peaches
• Onions
• Garlic
• Melon
• Lettuce
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Beets
• Beans
• Watermelon

August

• Tomatoes
• Squash
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Potatoes
• Plums
• Peppers
• Peas
• Pears
• Peaches
• Garlic
• Onion
• Nectarines
• Eggplant
• Cucumber
• Zucchini
• Cabbage
• Apples

Watermelon Salad Summer Recipe

1 watermelon, chopped into cubes
1 red onion, small slices
1 cup feta cheese
1 cup nectarines, optional
2 cups arugula
Dressing: 1 cup balsamic with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp dijon mustard

Mix ingredients together and enjoy a refreshing, delicious salad with flavour!

Delicious Warm Weather Snack and Meal Ideas:

• Fruit salad bowl: mix a variety of in season fruits together
• Zucchini and cucumber chips
• Apple with honey or peanut butter
• Stuffed peppers
• Pea soup
• Bacon wrapped asparagus
• Broccoli and cauliflower salad or casserole
• Caprese salad
• Eggplant pasta
• Pears in a bowl with cinnamon

I hope that you and your family enjoy the beautiful warm weather that is to come!

The post Healthy Habits for Warm Weather appeared first on Super Simple.

Teaching math to children doesn’t have to be boring. STEM teaching is all about teaching children in a fun and exciting way that helps excel and put into practice learning. To inspire the next generation of potential Scientists, Technological workers, Engineers and Mathematicians. Back in the days of our own learning, math could be a very boring lesson to sit through, with not much, if any imagination to help children be enthused by it. This simply isn’t true any longer: teachers and parents are thinking outside the box for learning and it is working!

Today we will be sharing how to make edible dominos. Edible dominos you say? Surely not?! Yes, it’s true! We will be making domino cookies and the good thing about them is your children can help make and bake them, AS WELL as learning and playing a game afterwards. Baking after all is fundamentally about getting the perfect ratios to make the yummiest result, so what better way to make a Maths game by baking it. It really is a winner!

The Rules of Dominos

This game is a fantastic game to play with your family or students and works with a whole range of ages. The rules are simple and easy to follow. You can make your game as long or short as you want it. Our favorite thing about this game is that it is wonderful for children learning to count and recognise patterns.

A good way to start to this game is to explain the rules to your children and go through each of the domino pieces so they understand the pieces.

Number of players:
2-4 people

Ages:
3+ years

Rules:

1. Turn all of your dominos over so that the numbered dots are facing the floor/surface. Each person pick one piece up. The person who gets the highest score (literally by counting how many spots are on theirs) goes first. Now put back all the pieces face down again.
2. If there are only two players, each picks up 7 pieces. If there are more than two, pick 5 pieces each.
3. Put the remaining pieces in a pile in the middle, this is the draw pile.
4. It is up to you whether you decide to hide your pieces so your opponents can see or not.
5. The idea of the game is to match up the numbers and you can put a piece vertically or horizontally next to the same number piece at the end.
6. If it is your go and you have no pieces that match, take one off the draw pile. If you can then play, play, if not you skip your go. When the draw pile finishes and you can’t play at all you will have to skip your go.
7. The person who can play all the way to the end and finishes all their pieces wins.

Whether you only have time for a quick round or a long game this is the perfect game. You can play win or lose, or a longer bout playing rounds to see who reaches the winning number first. Just remember… no eating the pieces until you are done playing! Let’s be honest, this is the bonus part of this STEM activity, if you play this as a family you have lots of fun family learning time AND a great snack afterwards. I guarantee it won’t be long until they have all disappeared!

Recipe:

We used a gluten and wheat free gingerbread recipe, however you can use whichever favorite gingerbread recipe you have at home. Try to stick to a gingerbread recipe though as they are easier to handle and less likely to break when playing with the pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum (if your flour includes it, don’t add anymore)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 80g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Icing sugar
• colored candy coated chocolate beans

Utensils:

• baking trays
• oven
• mixing bowls
• measuring cups and scales
• small rectangular cookie cutter OR domino cookie cutter set
• icing bottle

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 and line your baking trays with baking parchment.
2. In a large mixing bowl add your dry ingredients – xanthan gum, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix to combine.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the wet ingredients – molasses, honey, butter, egg and vanilla. Combine until it forms a sticky dough.
4. Cut out two sheets of baking parchment and place the dough in-between them. Roll out the dough to a 1/2 centimetres depth. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden a little. This will make the next cutting bit much easier.
5. Peel off the top layer of baking parchment, sprinkle some flour on top and start to cut out your dominoes with your rectangular domino cookie cutter. Place your dominos onto the baking tray, making sure you give each one space to expand in the oven.
6. If you have bought a special domino cutter set, start to imprint your domino pieces. If you do not, and it most certainly isn’t necessary to have one, just put them straight into the oven and bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheets when they come out of the oven.
   Tip: If you don’t have either a rectangular cutter or domino cutter, draw out a rectangle on some cardboard, cut it out and use a sharp knife to cut around it on the dough.
7. Start to mix some icing sugar to make a paste and if you have a squeegee bottle pour it in there.
8. If you need help, find some domino pieces so you can copy the numbers on them. Using the icing sugar, make little dots where all the smarties/ chocolate beans will be put on top. Place them on top of the icing so that they can dry in place. It should dry fairly quickly.

PLAY!

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The day of love is almost here and what a better way to celebrate than with some homemade sweets! These gummies are a great alternative to the commercially made versions as they contain real fruit juice and a little extra love.

You’ll need:

• 2¼ cups diced strawberries
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup orange juice
• 3 tbsp sugar (more to taste)
• 4 tsp agar agar powder (or 6 tbsp of unflavored gelatine)
• cookie cutters or molds

Here’s the instructions:

1. Mix orange juice, lemon juice, and strawberries in a pot.
2. Let the mixture simmer on medium until fruit is extra soft.
3. Remove mixture from stove and add to a blender or food processor.
4. Blend until smooth.
5. Pass through strainer and back into pot to remove seeds from strawberries.
6. Meanwhile mix agar in warm water until it blooms. Start with 3 tablespoons of warm water and stir. Add a tiny bit more until it turns into a soft paste. *Skip this step if you’re using gelatine.
7. Turn pot to medium heat. Then add sugar. Once it’s at a gentle boil, add bloomed agar and mix with a rubber spatula to even out the bubbles and make sure the agar has fully dissolved.
*If using gelatine, stir in gelatine into the pot one tablespoon at a time, until it is completely dissolved.
8. Turn heat to low and continue mixing with spatula—it will start to thicken.

9. Pour mixture into a pan, tin or mold, then place in refrigerator to firm.
*Place molds/pan into fridge and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
10. Once cooled, cut out shapes with cookie cutter or take out of the mold.
11. Enjoy with your loved ones!

Note: Rinse your pots, strainer and blender right away, it gets harder to remove after the gelatine hardens.

The post Berry Orange Heart Gummies appeared first on Super Simple.

One idea is to add roasted beets, beet powder, red peppers, or fresh/frozen berries to your favourite pancake, waffle, muffin, smoothie, and/or dip recipe. Another idea is to try red/pink/white themed snacks and lunches. You can do this with food alone or head to your local dollar store or party supply store to find heart shaped dishes and/or baking tips and use these to serve pink and red foods that are rich in nutrition, flavor, and fun!

Valentines week is also a great time to get your kids involved in snack and meal prep. Below you can find a recipe for Homemade Valentines Day Frozen Yogurt that is easy for children to make and always a hit for snacks and dessert in our home! I have also included teaching opportunities that you can try while making it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Greek yogurt (or a coconut yogurt if you would like it to be dairy free)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1 cup fresh or frozen pomegranate seeds
• 1 cup fresh or frozen sweet cherries
• 1 cup frozen cranberries
• 5 dates
• (For a boost of protein and omega 3 fatty acids you can add ¼ cup hemp hearts too!)

Instructions

1) Pull dates apart and remove the pit.
2) Add all ingredients to a blender, such as Vitamix, Blendtec, Ninja, or other that has the blade capacity to puree the dates.
3) Mix on a low setting (1 or 2) until the dates and berries have been pureed, then move to a higher setting to finish blending all ingredients.
4) Pour into small glass containers or popsicle molds and place in the freezer. The containers pictured here are from WeanGreen.

“Kids in the Kitchen” Learning Notes

Letter recognition and letter sounds: For this recipe you can focus on the letter “P” for PINK. In our home I use a flashcard with the letter “P” on it. You could also use a Scrabble tile or alphabet puzzle piece. While adding ingredients we talk about the sound the letter makes and then other words that start with the same sound like PULL and PIT (when we pulled the date apart to remove the pit), POUR (when we added the ingredients in), and PICK (when we talked about the strawberries we had picked and frozen last summer for recipes such as this one). An alternate or additional letter that would be great for this recipe is the letter “F” as it applies to FROZEN, FRESH, FAST and FUN.

Colours: For this recipe you can talk about the colours PINK and RED. I focus on the fact that when we blend red and white, we can make pink. I use a flash card which has the color pink on it but you could also make a fun game of collecting all the pink things in your home or playroom.

Texture/Solid vs. Liquid: It is fascinating to watch a child’s face as a LIQUID forms from several SOLID items. This is a great recipe to take that one step further and talk about how the process of FREEZING works and the time it takes for that to happen.

Numbers and Mathematical Skills: At the start of a recipe I like to COUNT the ingredients with my children, then let them know all we will be doing and the order we will be doing it in. Then we continue to review throughout the cooking process what we have completed and what is next. My goal is for them to understand ORDER and that it matters. This is a rather fast recipe, but it is still a great one for counting and order as it is easy numbers which is great for a toddler/preschooler.

Creating/Imagination/Experimenting: Frozen yogurt or “nice cream” is a wonderful way to experiment with blending colors, textures, and tastes. You can talk to children about what color foods they want to add and why some frozen treats are a lighter color and others darker.

Life Skills: In this recipe you can discuss FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS, ASKING FOR HELP (to pour from heavier containers), and PATIENCE (as you wait for the freezing process).

The post Valentine’s Snacktivity Round Up appeared first on Super Simple.

Making your own hot chocolate is no more difficult than making instant powdered hot chocolate, and this way you can control how much sugar you want to use and types of chocolate.  As a chocolatier, I will always insist on quality chocolate and cocoa powder. Callebaut, Cacao Barry and Valrhona are all easily accessible for reasonable prices.

INGREDIENTS

(makes 4 servings)

• 5 ounces dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 quart (4 cups) whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Divide the chocolate evenly into individual mugs and set aside.
2. Whisk together the cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and sugar in a small saucepan. This helps break up any lumps in the cocoa or sugar.
3. Add milk and set the saucepan over medium heat.
4. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, until hot and smooth, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the saucepan from the heat, pour the milk mixture into mugs over the chocolate, and let it sit for 30 seconds to heat and melt the chocolate.  Stir gently to combine the chocolate with the milk mixture.

I am a purist and enjoy it straight up, but if you like toppings such as marshmallows and or whipped cream, add to your heart’s content.

Next, cozy up under a blanket.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook, and hashtag your creations with #SuperSimpleOfficial.

Contributor
Jean Hon is the Chief Baking Officer (in her home) at Jeannie’s Om Nom Nom in Parkdale  but her day job is a Corporate Insurance Underwriter in Toronto, Canada.  As a passionate baker and chocolatier, she loves to offer people good, delicious, made from scratch pastries and confections.  It is all about the ingredients and love, the love for baking. Since 2013, she has focused on baking and giving back to her community. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Original content © 2019 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

The post Super Simple Hot Chocolate appeared first on Super Simple.

Christmas. Pretty hectic time of year right? By November your diary is rapidly filling up for December. Work parties, school parties, children’s nativity, carol singing, light switch on, mall Santa trips, present buying, baking, decorating. It’s easy for the whole of the festive season to fly by without actually spending a moment to breathe and have a quiet moment with your children at home. Am I right? We are here to encourage you all to take an hour out of your busy schedules, put down your phones and enjoy your offsprings by doing a super simple food craft and enjoying a mug of hot chocolate in front of an episode of The Super Simple Show, the Christmas episode. Ready to invite your family to a cozy Christmas Special pyjama party? We’ve even got printable festive invitations! Download them here.

Hot Chocolate Candy Cane

• Silicone ice tray/cupcake or muffin silicone tray
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup of sugar
• Sprinkle of salt
• 450g milk chocolate
• Candy Canes
• Deep silicone ice cube mould or a cupcake mould.
• Wooden skewers

Instructions:

1. In a safe microwaveable bowl melt the chocolate.
2. In a stand-alone mixer, or a bowl with handheld mixer pour in the sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Give a quick whirl of the mixer or a spoon to incorporate them all.
3. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Using a spoon, carefully fill up the silicone mould.
5. Push in your candy canes into the centre of each section. Your mixture should be thick enough that the candy canes stand upright by themselves. If they do not, place two wooden skewers on either side to hold the candy canes in place while the chocolate hardens.
6. Leave to cool and harden in the fridge for a few hours.
7. When solid remove them from the moulds. Warm up a mug full of milk and when steaming, stir your Hot Chocolate Candy Canes into them and watch them melt away. Keep stirring once the chocolate has melted to get a peppermint tint as the candy cane begins to melt too.

Now for your Marshmallows…

Marshmallow Snowmen

For North:

You will need:

• Wooden skewer
• White medium sized marshmallows
• Strawberry laces
• Strawberries/Hersey kisses
• Black icing pen
• Toothpicks or something similar
• Heart sweets (something like Haribo hearts)

For Yuki:

You will need:

• Wooden skewer
• White medium sized marshmallows
• Pink little marshmallows
• Toothpicks or something similar
• Pink heart chocolates/sweets
• Black icing pen

We will be making the Snowman (North) in the instructions below:

Instructions:

1. Take one strawberry and cut off the stem bit off.
2. Take your wooden skewer and pierce it through the bottom of the strawberry. Don’t let it go through the top of it.
3. Now slide through three white marshmallows all the way up to the bottom of the strawberry.
4. With some strawberry laces tie a little scarf around the bottom of the top marshmallow.
5. With the black icing pen and a toothpick, draw your snowman/woman’s face on the top marshmallow.
6. Stick two toothpicks on either side of the middle marshmallow and at the ends slide in a heart sweet for mittens.
7. Your Marshmallow Snowmen are now ready to be eaten or swirled into your hot chocolate.

So, now you have your hot chocolate and your marshmallow snow-people, all you have to do is take half an hour out of your busy day, snuggle up on your sofa with your children and have a hygge moment with your family.

The post Candy Cane Hot Chocolate Sticks & Marshmallow Snowmen appeared first on Super Simple.

Ingredients:

• Whole almonds – 250g
• Triple Sec (or vanilla extract) – 15ml
• Sugar – 20g
• Dried Cranberries – 200g
• Dark Chocolate – 500g

It is very important to use good quality chocolate; you will impress even those with very discerning taste!  I use Callebaut and it can be easily found at your local big brand bulk food stores (without naming names, it starts with a B).

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Chop your almonds to desired chunkiness.  Toss the chopped almonds with sugar and Triple Sec (or vanilla) until thoroughly combined and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Toast in the oven until caramelized (approximately 8-12 minutes, check them at 8 minutes and be careful to not burn the mixture).

Once the almond mixture is nicely caramelized, combine with the cranberries.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler with medium heat.  **Double boiling is simmering water in a pot with a bowl fitted on top of the pot to melt things gently through indirect heat.  Chocolate is one of those nice ingredients you don’t want to ruin by using direct heat.

Combine the almond and cranberry mixture with the melted chocolate (reserving ¼ of the almond cranberry mixture) and spread over a parchment lined baking sheet (it is absolutely ok to reuse the same parchment and sheet you used for toasting the almonds).  Sprinkle the reserved almond mixture over top the chocolate mixture and let it set.

Allow bark to set and break into pieces.

If you don’t eat it all this will last 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook, and hashtag your creations with #SuperSimpleOfficial.

Contributor
Jean Hon is the Chief Baking Officer (in her home) at Jeannie’s Om Nom Nom in Parkdale  but her day job is a Corporate Insurance Underwriter in Toronto, Canada.  As a passionate baker and chocolatier, she loves to offer people good, delicious, made from scratch pastries and confections.  It is all about the ingredients and love, the love for baking. Since 2013, she has focused on baking and giving back to her community. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Original content © 2018 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

The post Cranberry Almond Bark appeared first on Super Simple.

Cookies for Santa Clause and carrots for the Reindeer…it’s all about balance!

But sometimes, during the holiday season, there can be an imbalance of less nutrient-dense foods and more sugar-packed treats. If you are looking to add a few more healthy snacks to your holiday spread without sacrificing on taste or presentation I’ve got you covered!  And the best part is that they are so easy your kids can help make them!

Veggie Wreath

This one is a great way to get children involved in making a veggie platter that they can serve to their friends at a play date or as part of holiday dinner appetizers. When children are involved in veggie prep, they are always more interested in eating those veggies too!

What you need: 1 cucumber, 3 baby tomatoes, dip of your choice (optional)

Here is how you make it:

1. Slice cucumber and place on plate in a circle slightly overlapping (see photo below) to make “a wreath”.
2. Cut baby tomatoes in half and place as “decorations” on your wreath.
3. You can leave it as that or add a red pepper hummus and/or guacamole as festive dips.

Mini Apple Wreath

These can be called wreaths or donuts and are always a hit with little ones. It is a great “snacktivity” for any time of the day! And if you want it to last even longer, have your children take the pomegranate seeds out of the larger fruit as part of the process!

What you need: (for 4-5 wreaths): 1 apple, ½ cup goat cheese, cream cheese or Greek yogurt, ½ cup pomegranate seeds

Here is how you make it: Slice all the way through creating circles. You can core them or leave them with a star in the middle. Spread with your choice of topping and add pomegranate seeds. You may also want to offer hemp hearts, chia seeds for “sprinkles”!

Apple Christmas Tree

This is so beautiful that you can even use it as a centrepiece before it gets eaten!

What you need (per tree): 1 Granny Smith Apple, ¼ cup Pomegranate Seeds, 2 Tbsp. Peanut butter or Almond butter, and ½ cup Shredded Coconut

Here is how you make it:

1. Slice the apple into quarters and remove the core portion from each quarter.
2. Then slice the apple about ¼” thick slices and place on plate as shown in the photo below.
3. Add pomegranate seeds or any other small fruit pieces you enjoy for “decorations”.
4. Place about 2 Tbsp. of your favourite nut butter at the base of the apple slices as the “tree trunk”. This will be your apple dip.
5. Sprinkle shredded coconut along the bottom of your platter or plate as “snow”.

Baked Reindeer Pudding

This pudding is packed with vitamins, minerals, and energy to support growth and a stronger immune system. And if you make a little extra, you can leave it out for the reindeer on Christmas Eve!

What you need:

• 2 cup Steel Cut Oats
• ¼  cup wheat germ
• 1 cup coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup hemp hearts
• 10 figs or pitted dates
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 banana
• ½ cup applesauce

Here is how you make it:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender.
2. Blend on low at first and increase to medium/medium-high until all ingredients are blended together.
3. Pour pudding into a baking dish and bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes or until all is warmed through and top is slightly browned. Serve in small or large bowls with a little yogurt and fruit on top.

And if you are looking to add a little fun to mealtime, perhaps a “Macaroni and Fruit Santa”, a “Taco Christmas Train”, or a stir-fry packed with red and green veggies can be part of your weekly meal plan!

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Contributor
Noelle is a mom of 6 year old twin boys and a 3 year old son. She is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for nutrition, fitness, and all things related to motherhood. Almost three years ago Noelle started her Instagram feed to give moms ideas of ways to make healthy choices for themselves and their little ones. Now in addition to sharing delicious and healthy recipes she talks about aspects of motherhood. From the early days of breastfeeding to grocery shopping with toddlers to making school lunches and everything in between! motherhoodandmeals.com

Original content © 2018 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

The post Healthy Christmas Treats appeared first on Super Simple.

‘Tis the season of pine trees and twinkly lights and spending Sundays inside baking gingerbread cookies
as the snow swirls outside of your window. Baking gingerbread cookies is one of the best parts of the
holiday season for so many reasons: it’s a fun way to bring the family together and get creative, and the
smell of ginger, cinnamon and molasses filling your house is a great bonus. Gingerbread cookies are
some of the easiest Christmas cookies to make: the dough is forgiving and easy to roll out – which
means little hands can get in there and cut their favourite shapes too! Decorating them is the best part –
get creative with colours, sprinkles and buttons (and don’t forget to eat a few along the way!).

Gingerbread Cookies

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup unsulphured molasses
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour  (spoon & levelled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the
   butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown
   sugar and molasses and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy-looking. Scrape
   down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed
   for 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves
   together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The
   cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough in half and place each onto a
   large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Chill for 3
   hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone
   baking mats.
4. Remove one disc from the fridge and unwrap. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your
   hands and the rolling pin – don’t be afraid to use enough flour – the dough will be sticky! Roll to
   ¼ inch thick, and using your favourite cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Re-roll scraps as many times
   as needed.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Once cooled, decorate as desired.

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Contributor
Aleshia Pinto is a food blogger and carb enthusiast, who creates recipes aimed at bringing people together. Her blog, less with bread, is a collection of traditional and non traditional Italian recipes inspired by the seasons and current cravings. On any given day, she can be found planning her next dinner series or daydreaming about pasta!

Original content © 2018 Super Simple. Not to be reprinted without express written permission. Terms of Service.

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