Old Fashoned Spicy Chewy Ginger Cookies

  If you asked me to tell you what the very best things about the holiday season are, I'd be quick to answer.

• The cheerful mood.
• The spirit of generosity.
• The anticipation of delicious dinners with family and friends.
• The opportunity to share gifts with others.
• The lights, candles, and sparkles.
• The opportunity to reflect on all the blessings of the year.

And the number one thing:  The Cookies!

I'm not ordinarily a very regular baker -- in part because I don't always have the time to dedicate to it, and in larger part because we don't really need sugary treats lying around at our house.  (Which is also why, when I DO bake, the sugary treats almost always end up being taken to the office, where my colleagues can scarf them up!)

But, we make an exception during the holidays.  And this is one of our very favorite cookies to make.

If you like the spiciness of a ginger snap combined with the chewiness of a classic molasses cookie, these old fashioned ginger cookies are for you.  Redolent with cinnamon and plenty of ginger, they’ll remind you of cookies your grandmother made.

Best of all, the cookie dough is made with cold butter. So, there’s no waiting for it to soften.  A generous roll in granulated sugar gives these cookies a crackling top that makes them a beautiful addition to any cookie plate... and the perfect companion to a nice, tall glass of milk.

Old Fashioned Spicy Chewy Ginger Cookies

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Milwaukeeans: You are SUCH good cookies!

  Wow!  Just Wow.  Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude to everyone who came out for the MKEfoodies Holiday Bake Sale over the weekend.

We had an amazing time.  There was milk donated by Outpost Natural Foods, and door prizes provided by numerous Milwaukee business, including Purple Door Ice Cream, Bartolotta's Restaurants, Meritage, Stone Creek Coffee and countless others.

Peef was the most adorable Santa Claus you ever did see, and everyone had tons of fun chatting and buying cookies and feeling REALLY awesome about raising money for such a great cause.

We thought it was pretty amazing when we SOLD OUT of cookies in the first hour and a half of the bake sale.  But, we found it even more amazing when we started counting.  Turns out we sold over 1900 cookies and baked goods, and made just over $1600 for Cookies for Kids' Cancer.  While that amount, in and of itself might not be impressive, it gets better.  With the dollar-for-dollar match from OXO, and the $1 per cookie match from the Glad Corporation, our total reaches over $5,000!

If you ask me, that's a pretty darned good bake sale!  So, THANK YOU to everyone who supported our efforts this year. And, if you live in the Milwaukee area, please mark your calendars for the second weekend in December next year for the 3rd Annual Bake Sale!

Take a peek at all the great bake sale photos, taken by Troy Freund Photography!

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Love Cookies? Hate Cancer? There's a Bake Sale for That.

  For those of us who enjoy baking, the holidays present an excellent opportunity to put our creative thinking caps on and whip up batches upon batches of sweet, delicious treats.

But, if you don't feel like getting all hot and bothered in front of the oven this year, we've got a pretty attractive solution for you.

It's Milwaukee's biggest bake sale. On Saturday, December 8th. And it supports an awesome cause.

You'll love the expressions on your friends' and family's faces when you present them with a gorgeous display of delightful confection, and you'll feel even better when you remember that every penny you spent went straight to an organization that is fighting childrens' cancer.

Be a good cookie.  If you're in the Milwaukee area, come to the bake sale.
And buy -- don't bake -- some of your holiday cookies and treats this year. All proceeds will be donated to Cookies for Kids' Cancer, an organization whose sole purpose is to advance the research needed to advance treatments for pediatric cancer.

If you're too far away to attend, show your support by making a donation to our cause.  It's easy. Just click here.

OXO, makers of fine kitchen utensils, will match every dollar you spend. The Glad Corporation will donate $1 for every cookie sold. Get yourself on the nice list, and build a better world.

The MKEfoodies Annual Holiday Bake Sale will be held Saturday, December 8 from 12-4pm at the Historic Pabst Brewery, located at 901 W. Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee. For more information, visit www.mkefoodies.com

If you need additional motivation to attend, I've got two pieces of information that might persuade you:

1. We'll be bringing along about a dozen gift boxes of our delicious chocolate covered brandy cordial cherries to sell at the sale.
2. Peef will be making an appearance as Santa Claus and will be handing out door prizes to anyone who puts at least $2 into the donation jar at the door!

So, whaddaya think?  See you there?

©BURP! Where Food Happens