It’s Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Ginger Cookies

The Hubs, ‘Timan’ and I love Ginger. So it won’t come as a surprise that ‘Ginger Nuts’ are the cookies we probably eat the most in our house. They are ‘Timan’s favorites and they are totally milk-free. A win/win situation, because we are still fighting to keep the tot’s allergy at bay and the little one as rash-free as possible and without eczema.

But we are living in Paradise. Very often I hear ‘na pa’ in the shops. If I translate this into proper English, it would be something like ‘I’m very sorry, but unfortunately we don’t have it on stock right now. But certainly we will have it available for you in the future’. 😉

It used to give me a headache and the last time this happened I knew I had to do something. My bones started to itch and I was well aware I would have an erupting volcano at home during snack-time if I simply told the tot ‘na pa’.

I figured the only way to save the day was baking the favorite cookies myself.

Or should I say ourselves? Baking without ‘Timan’s valuable help is not possible anymore.

This time he was the one to break the egg. It’s actually very easy for a toddler to break an egg, LOL. But seriously, even without making a mess. Have him crack it on the hard kitchen counter. Then he can easily open it at the cracks himself and empty the content into a bowl.

But to roll out the dough was even more fun.

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups (300gr) whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ginger, ground

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp mixed spice

3/8 cup (3 oz or 90ml) olive oil or 1/2 cup (125gr) margarine

3/4 cup (150gr) brown sugar

1/2 cup (4 oz or 120ml) honey

1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 3-4

Mix and sift flour with baking soda and baking powder, add ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice and mix.

In separate bowl beat egg, beat in brown sugar until fluffy, beat in olive oil and add honey until well combined.

Start with stirring flour-mix into egg-mix, later proceed with kneading it in until combined. Wrap in plastic paper and put in fridge for an hour.

Roll out dough 1/5 – 1/4 inch (4-5mm) thick, cut out cookies with your favorite cookie cutters and place on a greased baking sheet. Put in freezer for 10 min. Bake for 12-15 min and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 min. before taking them off.

I was using olive oil because of ‘Timan’s suspected milk-allergy, but you can easily replace the oil with margarine. Feel free to use molasses instead of honey, or use half of each.

Enjoy. If you are looking for a stronger ginger taste, check out the ‘Sticky Ginger Honey Cake‘.

What is the favorite cookie your little one just must have once in a while? Is he also going for ‘Ginger Cookies’?

It’s Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Graham Crackers or Cinnamon Honey Cookies

Sometimes I’m in desperate need to find an activity for ‘Timan’ to keep him busy and the very same day I happen to run out of a reasonable healthy snack, what a coincidence. 😉

Luckily there are some things I always have in the fridge or in the pantry. One of them is cinnamon. I love the smell of fresh cinnamon, it reminds me instantly of December, sipping on a mulled wine and munching on my favorite cookie ‘cinnamon stars’. Well, these are things you don’t do here, it’s too hot, it wouldn’t fit.

But we do have cinnamon trees here on the islands. Actually they are cassia trees and the finely ground or powdered bark tastes just like the rolled cinnamon bark.

Did you know that it inhibits bacterial growth and therefore food spoilage as a natural food preservative? It’s also a good source of manganese, fiber, iron and calcium.

Anyway, I had to bake. And ‘Timan’ loved to cut out the cookies.

And to enjoy them afterwards as a snack of course. 🙂

Graham Crackers or Cinnamon Honey Cookies

Ingredients

4 tbsp butter, soft or 3 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup (75gr) brown sugar

4 tbsp honey

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp cinnamon, ground

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cup (270gr) whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 3-4

Mix butter or olive oil with sugar, add honey and mix, beat in egg until well blended and creamy. Add vanilla essence, cinnamon and salt, mix.

In separate bowl mix baking powder, baking soda and salt with flour.

Start with stirring flour-mix into egg mix, later proceed with kneading it in until thoroughly combined.

Roll out dough 1/8 inch (3mm) thick, cut out cookies with your favorite cookie cutters or cut out crackers. Place on a greased baking sheet, bake for  7-8 min on the first side, turn over and bake for another  4-5 min on the other side.

There is no real Graham flour available to buy here in paradise, so I use normal whole wheat flour instead.

Because ‘Timan’ keeps getting a rash or eczema on his legs and under his arms and I suspect a milk allergy as a one of the possible triggers I made another batch with olive oil instead of butter. With olive oil it’s more a cracker than a cookie, less sweet and less ‘buttery’. The tot loves it. 🙂

Enjoy.

What is the reasonable healthy cookie you are giving your kids?

By the way, the leaves of the cinnamon tree (cassia tree) are often used in the ‘cuisine creole’, in ‘coconut curry’ for example. Add some roughly chopped leaves during the cooking process, like you would do with bay leaves.

It’s Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Apple Mango Raisin Muffins

Those who are reading my blog probably know by now that ‘Timan’ has an addiction. The tot is literally living off and thriving from his 5 apples per day. Hence our stock on apples is immense. And I just assume everyone knows the common saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’. So Mommy is happy with this.

And you probably also know of my sweet tooth and my love for baking. Needless to tell you what I’m doing with some of the apples I’m able to sneak away from our little boy.

But he’s always catching me and just needs to give me a hand.

Job is done, muffins are in the oven, I’m cleaning the bowls but I can’t find my whisk. Where did it go?

Here it is:

Now we’re talking. First time ever the tot is licking the whisk. ‘Timan’ is starting to develop a sweet tooth like Mommy. 🙂

Apple Mango Raisin Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup (180gr) flour – 1/2 whole grain, 1/2 all purpose

1/2 cup (100gr) brown sugar, loose

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg

1/3 cup (90ml) cornflour oil

1/2 cup (60gr) raisins

1 medium apple, peeled and cubed (without core)

1 medium mango, peeled and cubed

(apple cubes and mango cubes together total to about 200gr or 1 cup)

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 3-4

Sift flour and baking soda, add salt, cinnamon and brown sugar, mix.

Beat egg, add oil and beat again, add raisins, apple and mango cubes and mix.

Make a hole in the center of the flour mix and add fruit mix, stir until all is moistened. Don’t overmix.

Spoon the batter into a greased medium size 6-hole muffin tin (fill up the cups, batter mounded) and bake for 25-30 minutes (test with wooden toothpick).

Let cool for at least 5 minutes before taking out of the tin.

These muffins are super yummy and delicious for breakfast, a healthy addition to your kids lunch pack or a tasty and nutritious snack.

Enjoy.

Apples and Mangoes are the two fruits we always have in the house, at least we try. Apples because of our tot’s addiction to them and Mangoes because of the many trees in our neighbourhood (and also because of ‘Timan’s love for them, who are you kiddin’). And raisins, well, these we have because of me. I love to snack on them while I’m blogging. And that’s why the ‘Apple Mango Raisin Muffins’ are the perfect breakfast/snack/whenever-muffins for us, put together in no time at all. 😉

What is the favorite treat you put together effortless from scratch?

It’s Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Sticky Ginger Honey Cake

I love ginger, especially fresh ginger. I love the taste, I love to use it for cooking, I love to use it as a medicine.

When I have a cold I usually make a ‘ginger tea’. I chop an inch of a fresh ginger root, pour boiling water over it, add some ground red pepper and lemon juice and honey to taste. It really boosts the immune system, helps to sweat it out and soothes a sore throat.

When I was at the beginning of my pregnancy with ‘Timan’ and felt queasy once in a while, I was chewing on some candied ginger or sucked on a small chunk of fresh ginger. It’s also a good remedy to make you feel better in case you get easily seasick.

Usually we have a lot of fresh ginger at home, like everybody here in paradise. But the locals ‘only’ use it for the ‘cuisine creole’ and maybe for some medicinal purposes.

The Hubs and ‘Timan’ love it too. Just imagine how surprised I was when I found out my little tot was going for ginger cookies at the young age of 14 month. Since then no ginger nut is safe anymore in our house.

But the following cake has too much ‘gingery’ taste for him. And this is perfect, because there will be more to eat for Mommy and Daddy. 🙂

However, it doesn’t stop ‘Timan’ from helping.

Sticky Ginger Honey Cake with fresh Ginger

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup (180gr) flour – 1/2 whole meal, 1/2 all purpose

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2  cup (100gr) brown sugar – loose

1/2 cup (125ml) honey

1 egg

1/2 cup (100gr) finely minced (grated) fresh ginger (no typo, I know, it’s a lot)

1 stick (115gr) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (125ml) water

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 3-4

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and black pepper.

In another bowl beat egg, add sugar, beat again and combine with honey, add ginger and whisk.

In saucepan melt butter and combine with water. Mix into ginger/honey mix.

Stir in flour mix and combine until smooth. The batter will be runny.

Bake in a greased square 8″ (20cm) tin for about 40-45 minutes or until an inserted wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes, knife around the edge before taking out of the tin and let completely cool on a rack. Wrap it in plastic foil and refrigerate it for a couple of hours.

The cake is smooth, very moist and ginger-lovers will be in heaven, because it tastes of … ginger and honey, of course. But I don’t think small children will like it, it is a little bit ‘hot’ for them, sorry tots. It’s perfect eaten right out of the fridge. Top it with some whipped cream or a cube of vanilla ice cream if you like.

Enjoy.

My tip: Store your fresh ginger roots in the freezer. They stay perfect for many month and are much easier to peel, cut, grate or otherwise work with when they are frozen. To make the ‘Sticky Ginger Honey Cake with fresh Ginger’ you simply grate the amount you need from the root and put the rest of the root back in the freezer.

Are you using fresh ginger for baking? What is your favorite ginger recipe?

It’s Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Guava Banana Spice Muffins

One of my all time favorite fruits is a guava. Just thinking of the pale green skin with the pink soft flesh is watering my mouth. I just try not to think about the seeds, or think about them in a positive way in hope they speed up my digestive system. I have no idea if they really do, but my motto is always ‘think positive’.

To stay on the serious side, guavas really are healthy. The pulp and the peel of the guava are a remarkable source of natural antioxidants and AODF (antioxidant dietary fiber) and they are also an excellent source of beta-carotene and vitamin C.

So all is good if you have your own guava tree and you eat your daily guava. Maybe we should change the well-known saying into ‘a guava a day keeps the doctor away’, shall we?

And some lucky people on earth really do have a guava tree in their garden, like my MIL.

So once in a while we get some of those delicious fruits. And the Hubs is ‘willingly’ sharing with ‘Timan’ and me, yep, he really is. 😉

But then again, I have the twitch in my pinky finger and feel the need to bake. But at this time I had only one guava and two little bananas left. I knew 1/2 guava and one banana I would need for the photo, so I came up with the following recipe and added some spice, well, just because I love spices.

As you see, baking without ‘Timan’ is impossible these days.

The muffins turned out so good, out of the 6 we made, the Hubs had 3, Timan had 2 and I had 1, only because I ate it before the others got their hands on them.

Guava Banana Spice Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup (125gr) flour – 1/2 whole grain, 1/2 all purpose

1/2 cup (100gr) brown sugar, loose

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2-3 pin ground ginger

2-3 pin ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup (60ml) oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 big guava (100gr)

1 small banana (50gr)

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 3-4

Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda, add sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt, stir.

Beat eggs, add oil and beat again, add vanilla extract and mix well.

Spoon out guava seeds (eat them, they’re good for your guts), spoon out pulp and mash it together with the banana.

Add guava/banana mash to egg mix.

Pour guava/egg mix into flour mix, stir until combined.

Fill a greased medium size 6-hole muffin tin 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes (test with wooden toothpick).

Let cool for at least 5 minutes before taking out of the tin.

You will have the perfect nutritious breakfast muffins or a healthy snack for in between, yummy muffins that leave a fresh taste in your mouth. And you’ll see, you’re housemates (aka Hubs and Kids) will love them.

Enjoy.

If you want to check out more ‘good and tasty’ recipes or want to share one, head over to ‘Stay At Home Babe‘ and link up for the

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Btw I was using a fresh guava, not because I don’t like the cooked guava pulp, but because I’m a little on the lazy side and did not want to ‘spoil’ my beautiful fruit. 😉 And the ‘Guava Banana Spice Muffins’ were divine.