These simple cookies are a hit.  Fun to make…fun to eat.  I like that they are made with honey and whole wheat.  And they really don’t take much time at all. 

tiny pretzels
chocolate chips
red hot candies

Stir together butter, peanut butter and honey.  Add egg, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla.  Mix in flour.  Chill dough for about an hour.

Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a well floured surface.  Cut circles using a small drinking glass.  Place on cookie sheet.  Use fingers to squeeze the circles in the middle. 

  Place two pretzels at the top for antlers, two chocolate chips on for eyes and one red hot candy for a nose. 

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Allow reindeer to cool 2-3 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

And, well…from the Land of the Misfit Cookies…
I just had to show you Malachi’s attempt at a reindeer. 
He sure did have fun helping!

Visit Tammy’s Recipes for more kitchen fun!

Here’s the promised Chocolate Snowball recipe.  I like that these aren’t super rich or heavy…just kind of like a little ball of chocolate cake.

Chocolate Snowballs

3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup rapadura or sucanat
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. sea salt
1 t. vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
powdered sugar

Cream butter, rapadura and cocoa.  Add milk and eggs and stir well.  Mix in baking powder, salt and vanilla.  Stir in flour.  Chill dough for at least two hours.  Roll dough into teaspoon sized balls and place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until the tops are cracked slightly.  Roll balls immediately in powdered sugar.

Be sure not to miss the recipes for Christmas Spice Cookies and Orange Cream Cheese Cut Out Cookies!  The next Christmas Cookie recipe will be: 

Reindeer Cuties!  (Your kids will love ‘em!)
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Visit Tammy’s Recipes for more kitchen fun!

As you all know, I love tweaking recipes and working to create a healthier version of recipes I find.  Thanksgiving and Christmas time give me plenty of excuses to exercise this crazy hobby of mine.  Nobody around me seems to mind.  :)  (Hehe, funny that I used the word exercise…talking about baking cookies!  Hey, exercise comes in many forms.) 

My favorite part of holiday baking:  I LOVE THE WAY CHRISTMAS BAKING MAKES THE HOUSE SMELL!!! 

I’m planning on baking up quite a few treats in the next few weeks to share with neighbors and friends…so be looking for several new recipes coming up here!!! 

The first recipe I’ll share is one that smells just like Christmas!!  MMMmmm!!

Christmas Spice Cookies

1 cup melted butter
1 cup rapadura or sucanat
1 egg
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

Stir together melted butter and rapadura.  Mix in egg, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla, nutmeg and cloves.  Add flour gradually until mixed thoroughly.  Chill dough at least 2 hours. 

Roll dough into teaspoon sized balls.  Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

These cookies are soooo yummy with a cup of hot cocoa!!!  (If you haven’t tried this hot cocoa recipe, you really, really should!)

Upcoming cookie recipe:  Orange Cream Cheese Cut-Outs!!  Possibly my favorite!

P.S.  Don’t fall out of your chair, but some of the recipes I’ll share might contain some compromising ingredients like powdered sugar and (gasp!) sprinkles.   What’s Christmas without an occasional red and green sprinkle?? 

So, what are your favorite kinds of Christmas cookies??!!
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Find more Works for me Wednesday posts here!

I’ve told you how much I love Rapadura to bake with.  (If you’ve never eaten a brownie made with rapadura…you haven’t had a brownie…well in my chocolate loving opinion…which is just an…opinion.) (Oh dear, now I’m hungry for brownies.)

Rapadura is unbleached, unrefined dehydrated cane sugar juice.  It bakes just like sugar (you substitute it one for one)…has a wonderful molasses-y taste and it is SO yummy!  Because it is unrefined, it still contains nutrients from the sugar cane. 

Many of you have asked if Sucanat is the same thing as Rapadura and if it was just as good for you.  I looked at the label of Sucanat…which happens to be named for “SUgar CAne NATural” (very clever), and it appears that Sucanat too is dehydrated sugar cane juice. 

I’ll admit to being (more than) a bit confused about Sucanat.  It appears to be practically the same as Rapadura…yet my trusty Nourishing Traditions book tells me to avoid Sucanat like I would avoid other processed sugars.  It says that Turbinado, Sucanat and Florida Cyrstals ”are all refined sugars from which the nutrients have been removed.  Small amounts of molasses may be added back to give a light brown color.”

The Sucanat package says that it is “dehydrated whole cane sugar that has not been separated or blended”.  THEN, it says that “basically nothing has been added and nothing taken out!”.  What does “basically” mean?!  Is that something like “Sort of”?   Has stuff been added or taken out…or hasn’t it?  Oh, I’m so confused.

I googled this subject, researched for way too long and found more confusion.  Sigh.  Like I need this kind of confusion.  I have a hard enough time staying on my feet sometimes.

Here’s what I’ve decided for our family:  I order my Rapadura from Azure Standard.  It is cheaper than the organic Sucanat from Azure.  I love Rapadura.  I’m going to stick with Rapadura. 

NONE OF THIS WOULD EVEN MATTER IF BROWNIES WEREN’T SO STINKIN’ YUMMY!!!! 

(I’m sorry for yelling.) 

What have the rest of you learned about the great Sucanat vs. Rapadura mystery?

**UPDATE**

Valerie commented that I should check out the Weston Price website for information on this.  THANK you.  (Why did I not think of that before?)  I trust this website.  In fact, Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions bases her nutritional information on Weston Price’s research.  Here’s what I found there:

Q. I’m confused as to which type of sugar is better, Sucanat or Rapadura?

A. Both are fine; both are made by dehydrating cane sugar juice. For a while Sucanat changed the way they made it and were using white sugar, so we stopped recommending the product. But they are now making Sucanat the old fashioned way, so we can recommend it again.

Sooo, there you have it.  NOW what do you think? 
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Visit Tammy’s Recipes for more kitchen tips.

Here’s the promised graham cracker recipe!  These crackers are crunchy-crispy…and taste SO GOOD!  Oh, I hope you love them like we do!

Okay, and if you love the Honey Graham Cracker recipe, you’ll LOVE the fact that you can also make CHOCOLATE Graham Crackers!!!  Just add 1/3 cup cocoa to the recipe.  YUM!!!!

Whole Wheat Honey Graham Crackers 

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice)
1 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
¼ t. cinnamon
4 T. honey
¼ c. water
1 t. vanilla
1 stick butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Melt stick of butter in a pan on the stove.  Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 
4. Add the liquids: honey, water, vanilla and melted butter.
5. Stir well until a nice ball of dough is formed. 
6. Cut two pieces of Parchment paper the size of the cookie sheet.
7. Lay one piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
8. Place the ball of dough on the parchment paper.
9. Lay the other piece of parchment paper on top of the ball of dough.  Squish dough down a little with your fist.
10. Use the rolling pin to roll the dough between the pieces of parchment paper.  Roll until the dough covers the whole cookie sheet.

Malachi is finishing up the rolling for Mama!

11. Remove the top piece of parchment paper.  Cut rolled dough into 2 inch squares, or cut shapes with cookie cutters, being sure to separate the shapes from the surrounding dough a little.

Here’s a shot of the chocolate graham crackers
cut into squares and ready to bake.

Malachi is using little cookie cutters to make “animal crackers”!

12. Bake in oven for 18 minutes.
13. Turn oven off, but leave crackers in the oven to get crisp.
14. Remove from oven after 30 minutes to one hour.  Break graham crackers apart.
15. Store in a air tight container.

Here’s a plate of the Chocolate Graham Crackers. 
(Got milk?)

My kids get SO EXCITED when I make these!  They are a GREAT snack to have on hand!  Try them and see what you think! 
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Visit Biblical Womanhood for more Frugal Friday tips.

We mostly drink water and milk at our house.  Sometimes when we have company though, I feel kind of boring with the drink choices I have to offer.

At one point I realized…why, I have LOTS of drink choices! 

Would you like your water cold…or room temp?  Filtered, or not filtered?  In a mug or in a glass?  Ice or no ice?  Crushed ice or cubed?  Would you like a straw?  What color of straw would you like? 

By the time I get through all of my questions, my guests feel like they are at a five star restaurant that caters to their every need.  (Or something like that.)

Occasionally though…it’s fun to treat the kids (or company) to something special and exciting.  And when I really think about it, our blender works overtime making yummy smoothies, slushies and milkshakes. 

Here’s the lemonade I make every once in a while for a refreshing change of pace.  Or…I use limes instead of lemons to make limeade.  Or…I use lemons and limes and make lemon-limeade.  (Ice or no ice?  Crushed or…)

Refreshing Lemonade or Limeade

8 cups cold water
4 lemons or 4 limes or 2 of each
1/4-1/2 cup agave nectar

1.  Put the 8 cups of water into a pitcher
2.  Slice the lemons and/or limes in half.  Squeeze the juice into the pitcher of water.
3.  Add agave nectar.
4.  Refrigerate.

This will make you pucker…but it’s so yummy on a hot summer day!

Sometime soon I’ll share some of the recipes for the milkshakes I like to make!  Our blender has been working overtime this summer on these healthy treats!

If you haven’t signed up to win HeavenlyHomemakers new ebook go sign up now!!

I’ve been baking all my life (give or take).  I can bake in my sleep.  I can bake along with the best of ‘em. 

But I have had the hardest time coming up with a good cinnamon roll. 

I’ve tried many different recipes and they always end up being too bready, too heavy, too doughy or too dry.

I just about gave up, figuring I must have the incurable CRBD (Cinnamon Roll Baking Disorder)….

But I tried just one more time.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.  Must be because I also suffer from GGDS (Good Grief Duh Syndrome) and sometimes have a hard time seeing the obvious.

It finally occured to me that since my homemade soft pretzels are so, so good…maybe that dough recipe would make a good cinnamon roll.  And BOY was I right!  Yumm-eee.

It was one proud day when I finally made a good cinnamon roll.  And the fact that it was made with whole wheat and honey was an added bonus!  Healthy and delicous…what a deal!

So, just in case you also have CRBD (see above to remind yourself what that is if you have GGDS and can’t remember)…here’s the recipe that finally worked for me!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

1 c. water
2 T. yeast
2 t. honey
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
4 t. sea salt
8 cups whole wheat flour
butter
salt

Ingredients for the “innerds” of your cinnamon rolls:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice) (you can use white sugar if you want)
1/2 T. ground cinnamon 

Melt your butter and set it aside.  Mix together the rapadura and cinnamon in a bowl.

Ooey-Gooey Frosting

1/4 cup butter
3 T milk
1/2 t. vanilla
1-2 cups powdered sugar to make the consistency you like

Melt butter.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, milk and powdered sugar.  Whisk together until smooth. 

Okay, here’s how to make the dough…

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup very warm water, 2 T. yeast and 2 t. honey.  Stir this together and kind of mush the yeast around.  Let this sit for a few minutes while you do the next step.

Melt a stick of butter in a large saucepan.  Add 1/2 cup honey, 4 t. salt and 2 1/2 cups of milk.  Heat this to 120 degrees.

Pour milk mixture into yeast mixture and stir.  Stir in 8 cups of flour, 2 cups at a time. (add more if you need it)

Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.  Plop it into a bowl, cover it and let it rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

After dough is nice and fat, punch it down and knead out all it’s bubbles.  Cut the dough in half, setting one half aside. 

On a well floured surface, roll dough into a nice big rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.

Use a pastry brush to spread 1/2 of the melted butter all over the rectangle.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the rapadura/cinnamon mixture all over the butter. 

Roll up the dough.

Cut into thin slices, about 1/2 inch thick. 

Place rolls side by side on baking pan.
 

Repeat process with other 1/2 of dough.

Allow dough to rise about 30 minutes. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown at 350 degrees.

Allow rolls to cool a bit, then drizzle lots and lots of ooey-gooey frosting all over them.

Happy cinnamon roll baking!!  Be sure to look through the “Natural Sugar Treats” section of my blog for more great recipes like this one…using great wholesome ingredients to make great treats!

Thanks to Shannon at Rocks on my Dryer for hosting Works for me Wednesday!

Hey, if you’ve been thinking about purchasing HeavenlyHomemakers Have Your Cookie…and Eat it Too e-book….

You should really do it now!  The half price sale ends on March 31…and that’s just a few days away! 

You’ll love these recipes using only whole wheat flour and natural sugars…they are sooo yummy!

Snatch yours up for only $2.90!!!!! 

Hurry!!

Technorati Tags: healthy recipes ebook

My dad…whom my boys call, Papa, is famous around here for buying us donuts when he comes to town.  It’s become a big deal…one that the boys won’t let Papa forget about.  (”Hi Papa…did you bring us donuts?…oh, and we’re also glad you’re here…”)

One Saturday morning…I decided to make homemade (and healthier) donuts for the family.  I got up early…ground wheat into flour…mixed up the dough, rolled them out, fried them up…and made a special hot fudge sauce to drizzle over them.  I put them on a pretty platter…poured glasses of fresh milk…and called the boys down for breakfast.

I cheerfully and excitedly greeted them with flour on my face and my hair all frazzled from all the work of making these fresh off the stove donuts…

And my three year old lit up and said, “Oh!! Did Papa make us DONUTS?!”

Huh.  I go to all this trouble…and Papa gets all the credit. 

<sigh> 

Well, they liked my donuts just as much Papa’s…and I loved that these were a pretty healthy treat!

(Papa really got a big kick out of that story, of course..)

I hope you’ll get a big kick out of this recipe!

Whole Wheat Cake Donuts (or should I call them, “Papa’s Special”?)!

3 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. salt
¼ t. nutmeg
2/3 cup rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice)
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
Oil for frying (I use palm kernel oil or coconut oil)

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in eggs, vanilla, milk and melted butter.  Knead dough a few minutes to make sure all ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
On a floured surface, roll dough to ½ inch thickness.  Cut with donut cutter, or biscuit cutter.  Heat oil in skillet or electric skillet…enough to cover the bottom of the skillet about ¼ inch.  Place donuts into the hot oil to fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.  Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle a mixture of rapadura and cinnamon, or sprinkle organic powdered sugar over the hot donuts. 

Yum!  Anytime I want a special breakfast treat for my family…these donuts work for me!

Interested in more healthy treat recipes like this one?  Come on over and sign up for my Healthy Treat Recipe E-book Giveaway!!  Hurry…I’m drawing my winner tonight! 

Today, I asked Elias what we should make for our healthy treat…

He said, “Something with strawberries!!  Some kind of cake!!”

Since strawberries aren’t in season yet…and I couldn’t really come up with any good ideas for a cake using frozen strawberries…

We came up with the idea to make a Strawberry Jelly Roll.

I’ve actually never made a jelly roll before…

Um, because, they’ve intimidated me.

 I admit it.  I have Jellyrollaphobia. 

I’m usually a mix-up-a-cake-and-throw-it -into-the-pan kind of a girl.  The idea of whipping my egg whites and folding in my flour mixture…blah, blah, blah…

And then rolling the cake thingy and spreading the filling, and rolling it back up without the thing breaking apart all over the place really scared me…

Jellyrollaphobia.

But today, everyone…

Today, I have overcome my fear of the Jelly Roll.

I have learned that Jelly Rolls are nothing to be afraid of.

This was very easy to make…and not at all scary.

Strawberry Jelly Roll

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 t. baking powder
4 eggs yolks
1/2 t. vanilla
1/3 cup rapadura
4 egg whites
1/2 cup rapadura
Strawberry Jelly - the kind made with only fruit, of course

Stir together flour and baking powder.  Set aside.  In another bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla and 1/3 cup rapadura.  And in another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add 1/2 cup rapadura to the egg whites and beat some more until hard peaks form. 

Then, fold the egg yolk/vanilla mixture into the egg whites.  Next, fold the flour mixture into the egg whites. 

Spread the batter onto a buttered piece of parchment paper lining a cookie sheet.  Bake it for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees.  The cake should “spring back” if you gently touch it in the middle.

Immediately pull the cake off of the parchment paper and lay it onto a tea towel.  Roll it up in the towel.  Allow it to cool completely.

Unroll it, spread jelly all over it, and roll it back up.

Done.

Slice it, eat it, share it, exclaim over it, be amazed by it.

We all really liked this treat.

And I will definitely make it again sometime.

I’ll probably even play with it and make different fun variations to the Jelly Roll.

Pumpkin Roll, Chocolate Roll, Cream Cheese something or other Roll, Chocolate-Pumpkin-Cream Cheese-something or other Roll…

I am a Jellyrollaphobic no more.