Trader Joe's Pfeffernüsse Cookie Mix for Gwenny's Hermit Holiday Cookies

I love Trader Joe's. It's the best snack store in the world! There are really specific items I go there for-Korean Green Onion Pancakes, Plantain Chips, Olive Tapenade and Cocobon Wine and this little goody around the holidays - Pfeffernüsse Cookie Mix. The cookies are ok, but I made a recipe with this box mix that is knock your socks off, holiday magic! But it all starts with the mix! 

There are these cookies from New England called Hermit's. I have wanted that taste and texture all winter long. I made a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that I got years ago for Hermit cookies. But they weren't really the soft chewy texture I was looking for. Instead, they were more like plain old Ginger Bread. Don't get me wrong! I love Ginger Bread. But I was going for the taste and texture of something else so it was kind of a let down. 

Then I remembered that I had this little mix in the cupboard. I added this and that, a little bit of love and whole lot of holiday magic and voila! I had a really hard time deciding on a name for these little treats. So I made sort of a mash up title. Either way, it all starts with this special mix from Trader Joe's.

Gwenny's Pfeffernüsse Hermit Holiday Cookies

Ingredients:

Trader Joe's Pfeffernüsse Cookie Mix 

1 Large Egg

1 Stick of butter

1/4 Cup Molasses

1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1/4 cup currants

`1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup candied ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325

Whip butter until creamed

Add Egg and Cookie Mix, beat again with mixer

add heavy cream and molasses and beat again

fold in currants, raisins and ginger

Create evenly sized cookie balls 

put on a parchment lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with sanding sugar

and bake in the pre-heated oven for exactly 13 minutes!

Voila! You will have the chewiest, tastiest Christmas cookies ever!

Blueberry Scones

Scones are such a treat! But if you only knew how easy they can be, they'd be a real breakfast standard for you, I think. These ones are blueberry but you can make them with raisins, dried apricots, chocolate chips and candied orange peel or just plain old cinnamon and brown sugar. Anyway you slice it these are delicious, easy, fast and most importantly, a crowd pleaser! Instead of those cinnamon rolls you usually make for Christmas morning, why not try these?

The following recipe make four big scones to feed four regular people.

Blueberry Scones-

Ingredients:

1.5 Cups Bisquick

1/2 Cup frozen blueberries

1/2 Cup sugar

Milk (roughly 3/4 Cup but no real measurement)

Directions:

Put Bisquick, blueberries and sugar in a bowl. Mix gently.

Add milk until the consistency of dough is sort of crumbly as oatmeal would be but so it sticks together.

I know this sounds sort of wishy washy but as you may know I love to eyeball stuff.

Drop the scones by a 1/4 measuring cup onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Sprinkle with sanding sugar

Bake at 400 until your kitchen is filled with a delightfully yummy aroma and the tops are golden brown about 10 minutes.

This recipe is SO easy and people will think you worked your butt off to achieve this yumminess.

If you make them, let me know what you think!

 

It's Fall Y'all

Up here on the hill we are into fall, full swing. As we head closer to winter it is getting colder by the second. But the fall color up here never disappoints even as the days get shorter. I have been so inspired by this season that I think my photos have gotten better, my cooking seems to have better aromas, my creativity has been sparked and my physical fitness has been charged. I am, by body, a summer girl. But, by soul, an Autumn girl, no question. I am an October baby, born on the last day of Libra. It is said, that as a "cusper," I have a touch of Scorpio in me which makes me a full fledged Fall Baby!

These mood boards are the best visual way I can show you how I feel. Most of them below are from my Pinterest board called Mood Boards: 

What I Love About Christmas

Sometimes, during the Christmas season, we get lost in the "GET."

But what really "FEELS" good are these things...

Whats the stuff that evokes your favorite Christmas feelings?

source

John S. Goodall

It's the whole ENTIRE film, guys! The whole thing!!! (Thanks You Tube!!!!)

And....THIS! UNCLE!