Baking, making, decorating...

I've been having fun making holiday treats to share with family, friends, and coworkers!  Yesterday I baked my Sitty's (grandma in Arabic) Molasses Cookies.  They came out delicious, although they can't beat hers. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 cup melted shortening
1 cup molasses
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup warm water with 2 tsp. baking soda (stir & dissolve baking soda in warm water; set aside
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsps group ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix warm water with baking soda and set aside.  In a large bowl add flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

In another large bowl, mix melted shortening, sugar, molasses, and egg.

Gradually stir the dry ingredients and water mixture into the molasses mixture, alternating them.

Flour counter.  Take dough and flatten it with your hands and a rolling pin.  (If dough is sticky, gradually add more flour.)








Take a round cookie cutter or glass to cut out pieces.



(Note: I found the gingerbread man shape and the circle shape made softer cookies; the cookies from the smaller cut outs were more crispy. To ensure softness, have the dough be 1/4- 1/2 inches thick.)








Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.
When cooled, dust with powdered sugar.

On to the next! 

I found this Oreo Bark recipe on pintrest and I couldn't resist! If you're a chocolate fan you'll love it. Find the recipe here. It was simple to make: 2 ingredients, 20 minutes.

One last share...

Over the weekend I decided to bring some Christmas cheer to my boyfriend's apartment.  I made due with these little finds:

Picture window hanging decoration.

This was a glass orange juice jar.  Adding greenery to several jars would look great on a window ledge or mantle. 

Simple table center piece. 

Photo credit: David Santiago Caicedo

                                                 

Any ideas for more simple holiday touches?

See more of my decorating here!
Thanks for stopping by!