Tuesday 1 December 2015

Virtual Cookie Exchange

Just Let Me Quilt Virtual Cookie Exchange is now available for snacking at a blog near you from December 1-4!!

































December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
I'm excited to share my recipe with everyone! Make sure to check out yesterday's blogs and see the yummy recipes from 4 wonderful bloggers...not to mention the next 3 days...you're in for a real treat!!

Spoiler alert! Before I share the process, I'm going to sneak in a picture of the finished product...
As my husband and I race toward sixty, we're starting to realize the necessity of tweaking our meals to exclude things like white sugar. Here's a link to a magazine I've discovered has some fantastic recipes that are healthy and super-scrumptious. Clean Eating Magazine, released quarterly, never disappoints with flavour.
On a side note...my husband, Michael, prefers to say "We're journeying at a snail's pace toward sixty.", but that's another story.
In the December issue, I stumbled on this recipe that satisfies the sweet tooth and is delicious, and festive, enough to share during the holiday season.
First, crystallize ginger...
Peel and slice a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger into 1/4" thick pieces. (I cut them into thumb-nail size pieces afterward.) Place 1/2 cup organic evaporated cane juice with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat, stirring until dissolved. Add ginger pieces and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring often, until most of the syrup has been absorbed and ginger is very tender, about 25-30 minutes. Using tongs, transfer ginger pieces 
to paper towel and let cool completely.


Here's the recipe...courtesy of my favourite foody magazine
 I only needed half of the almonds and cherries to complete the recipe. The chocolate chips measured 2 cups or about 1 1/2 packages. These chocolate chips are made with cane sugar, found in the organic section of the grocery store.

Preparing the almonds for toasting was easy. I zipped them up in a freezer bag and, in no time at all, hit each one, ever so gently, with a hammer. I laid them out on a cookie sheet and roasted them in a 350 oven, turning them every 3-5 minutes for about 15 minutes.
 A 9x11 inch cake pan worked well to spread the melted chocolate. It provided the appropriate thickness and spread to within an inch of the edge of the pan.
As you can see, my chocolate spreading spoon accidentally "fell" into the almond pieces...guess what I did with that!! Mmmm-mmm good!
Lastly...the recipe didn't suggest this, but...pairing this delectable treat with a tasty glass of wine was the "piece-de-resistance". 
Oh, and I mustn't forget...I couldn't resist adding some colour and sweetness with crushed candy cane pieces. I was lucky enough to find some that are made with natural cane sugar instead of processed sugar. 
This recipe was easy and fun to make.
Thank you Carol at Just Let Me Quilt for creating this blog hop. It's been so much fun and I can't wait to see the recipes over the next few days!!