Gingersnaps

These little cookies required making a very simple dough, a very sticky simple dough.  Even after time in the fridge it was still a bit sticky to handle.  I followed the advice of fellow Tuesday with Dorie bakers and switched the process a bit.  Instead of rolling and cutting out shapes, I simply rolled it into a log and sliced the cookies from that.  It made a rather few small round gingersnaps.

They made odd gingersnaps as they were not too gingery and they lacked any snap.  They were more molasses-y  and chewy.  They were ok but not my first or even third pick in any given holiday cookie line up.

Addendum: I made a second batch of these with the leftover frozen dough.  We cut them out into gingerbread men and frosted and decorated a few.  They were much better this way.  I think it removed them from the "gingersnap" category and put them into the "gingerbread cookie" category in my head, which just made a lot more sense.

Rhiannon!

Challah

I went through a bread baking phase about 20 years ago.  Regardless of my efforts the loaves turned out quite dense and rather bland.  All of them, except Challah, which always came out soft, moist and flavorful.  And the braid was always beautiful.  So for awhile, I went through a phase of making Challah.

This past Thanksgiving weekend brought back memories of green bean casseroles and buttery mashed potatoes and delicious pumpkin pies.  I have let most of those recipes trail off in the past years, favoring them for newer, fresher dishes and desserts.  But like, Challah, maybe some of those are worth bringing back.

And here's Rhiannon.

For links to fellow baker's creations in the Tuesdays with Dorie cooking group, click here.