Gingerbread cookies are just so cute! They are a fun holiday tradition and they taste just like a Christmas cookie should taste! Plus the aroma of the wonderful warm spices will make your kitchen smell like a bakery. They are also fun and easy to decorate.

We have made gingerbread cookies for years, but this year I decided to try a new recipe. Sally’s Baking Blog recently posted a recipe for Gingerbread Cookies – and her recipes are always AMAZING – so as expected – they were perfectly spiced and the best gingerbread cookies I have ever made. They have a full tablespoon of cinnamon and ginger, which I thought might be too much – but the cookies were perfectly spiced. Plus they also have brown sugar, molasses, allspice and cloves to add to that deliciousness. YUM!

My icing was a bit too thin, but you can see the possibilities are endless….or you can just sprinkle the cookies with a bit of sanding sugar before you bake them, then you don’t have to decorate them. Mini M&Ms and little red hots always look cute.

Just for fun, I made several different sizes. Bigger ones certainly easier to decorate.

So cute on a cookie tray! Bake up your favorites and share with your friends and family. Happy Holidays!!!!

For the recipe and more photos for these gingerbread cookies, click on the link below:

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-gingerbread-cookies/

If you prefer a more delicate flavored gingerbread cookie, this Honey Gingerbread is one our family has included in our holiday baking for about 30 years.

Cocoa Bombs are very popular this winter! Many bakeries and specialty food stores offered a holiday version to give as gifts or to enjoy! Did you know you can make your own? We still have a few months of wintery weather here – and hot chocolate is always a welcome treat after spending time out in the cold. If you do a search for Cocoa Bombs online or on Pinterest you will find literally hundreds of recipes with so many creative variations.

While they are relatively “easy”, there is a learning curve. I think you should read over several recipes and see which ones would work for you. It will depend on what type of chocolate you like, what type of mold you want to use and the flavorings you want on the inside. I grated up semi-sweet chocolate bars, used a silicone mold, Nestle hot chocolate mix and mini-marshmallows in mine.

Then I drizzled them with melted chocolate and added sprinkles. Ready for fun – place the Cocoa Bomb in a mug or cup.

Then pour 8-16 ounces of hot water or hot milk over the cocoa bomb and watch it slowly melt to reveal all the goodies inside. Stir and enjoy. Try pouring hot coffee over a cocoa bomb for a tasty mocha drink.

I made some of these for Christmas and added crushed peppermint on the inside and outside.

Be creative – Valentine’s Day will offer a whole new theme for decorating these!

Below are links for the basic directions:

https://boulderlocavore.com/hot-chocolate-bombs-recipe/

https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/shiny-chocolate-bombs-with-marshmallows/

My Notes:

1. I melted the grated chocolate in 15 second intervals in the microwave and stopped when the chocolate was almost melted, then stirred until the chocolate was smooth. You don’t want to overheat the chocolate.
2. I used the back of a spoon to coat the silicone mold and used a 1/4″ brush to fill in the spots that were missed.
3. Then I placed in the refrigerator about 15 minutes. Many recipes say to pop in the freezer for about 5 minutes, but it seems to make the chocolate brittle and most of my shells that I put in the freezer broke when I was trying to assemble them.
4. Repeat, applying a second coat of chocolate and refrigerate until firm. Run a bench scraper across the top of the domes to smooth the upper edges. Gently remove the domes from the mold. If some break, just melt the pieces and try again.
5. I put cupcake liners in a cupcake tin and placed half of the domes in the liners, then fill each of those with 1 tablespoon hot chocolate mix and 1 tablespoon marshmallows.
6. One at time, dip the remaining domes into remaining melted chocolate and place on top of a filled dome. You can also pipe or use a knife to place a thin bead of chocolate around the edge of the filled dome and gently press together. Fill the spots that were missed with melted chocolate (making sure it is not too warm – or it might melt the shell- and create a larger hole). You can smooth out the chocolate with the back of warm spoon or your finger.
7. Place back in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes to firm up chocolate.
8. Drizzle with additional chocolate and decorate with sprinkles, mini-marshmallows, crushed candy canes, etc. The drizzle and sprinkles can easily hide all the imperfections! No one will ever know!!!
9. To serve, place the cocoa bomb in a mug or cup and pour very hot water, milk or coffee over it. Watch the bomb “explode”, then stir and enjoy!

Are you ready to start Holiday Baking? I always like to make our traditional Sugar Cookies, Crackle Cookies and Peanut Blossoms, but it is also fun to try new recipes. You can use stamps to create these beautiful cookies.

These cookies are sweetened with brown sugar and spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom. A bit of molasses also adds to the flavors. Just think how good these would be with a cup of tea!

These Stamped Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cookies would be a tasty addition to your holiday baking! This is another recipe from Sally’s Baking Blog. If you are looking for holiday baking recipes, her blog is a great place to start. Amazing recipes! For the recipe for these cookies, click on the link below:

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cinnamon-brown-sugar-stamped-cookies/