GINGERBREAD COOKIES W/ CREAM CHEESE ICING

it’s only december 11th and i have a christmas cookie hangover. like that perma full, i better have tea instead of coffee because i can’t even handle cream kinda cookie hangover. last night i was up until midnight making brown butter chocolate chip, nutella stuffed cookies (I KNOW) for a baking exchange at my house tonight. we’re only exchanging half dozens because me and 7 dozens of cookies could get a little cray…

on saturday two of my lovely sisters came over for a baking session. the recipe claimed it would only make 16 cookies per batch. we decided to triple it and but we ended up with 90 cookies instead of the 48 cookies promised. thankfully we all have husbands with major sweet tooths. 

funny story about this recipe…because we tripled the recipe, there was no way the whole thing could fit into my kitchen aid. we halved the molasses mixture and then added half the flour…or so we thought… we ended up with two different cookies. the first batch had the extra molasses, so very flat and molassesey and chewy and extremely delicious.

i was a bit weary of the second batch, but upon tasting i realized it was an ok mistake. the second batch was just as delicious, a little less soft but spicier tasting more like a fall cookie than a gingerbread. 

two cookies for the price of one…boooyah. 

both were smothered in white chocolate cream cheese icing which fyi, will cover a multitude of baking mistakes…

gingerbread cookies with cream cheese icing

makes two dozen cookies

ingredients needed:

cookies:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1⁄4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1⁄2 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

3⁄4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1⁄4 cup cookie molasses

icing:

4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tbsp unsalted butter, (room temperature)

3 oz white chocolate, chopped and melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups icing sugar

directions:

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.

3. in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until smooth. add in the egg and vanilla extract. mix until well combined. add in the molasses and mix until combined.

4. with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture. mix until flour disappears.

5. form the dough into tablespoon sized balls. place the cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

6. bake for 10-12 minutes. allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

7. melt the white chocolate in the microwave or a double broiler. if using a microwave, add a splash of milk and only melt for 30 seconds at a time, pausing to stir in between.

8. in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth. next add the melted white chocolate and vanilla extract. beat until it’s smooth. reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar until smooth.

9. frost the cookies with frosting and then devour!

slightly adapted from two peas and their pod

and if you have a cat who loves cookies, do try to keep her away from devouring them!!!

happy wednesday :)

s.s.♥.

O CHRISTMAS TREE

on friday morning we ventured out to get our Christmas tree. i’d like to say we went to a farm and cut it down ourselves but really we just went to country grocer. now isn’t she a beaut? last year we lucked out with this one but i think this year’s is a winner as well.

we started a tradition where every year we’ll pick up a new ornament. we found this gorgeous porcelain crane in my favourite store in vic, emporia boutique. cranes are our thing and the second we saw it, we knew it was meant to be.

gotta love that morning sunshine (even though it’s sooo stinking cold!!!)

and here she be again. i know this is almost exactly the same as the first picture but this one has our tree skirt in it. coco likes to sprint towards the tree and slide on the skirt, twisting it around…she also like to climb up on the couch and swat at ornaments…i’m kinda terrified that one day we’ll come home and the tree will be on the ground…though she hasn’t climbed up it yet, so fingers crossed she won’t start.

is your tree up yet? does your home do real or fake?

ok bed time for me!

over n out,

s.s.♥.

SATURDAY NIGHT

hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

today two of my sisters (rosalyn, we missed you!) came over and baked 90 gingerbread cookies….(i know…) we had a slight baking mix-up which resulted in two different cookies, but both taste amazing and i’m looking forward to sharing the recipe with you next week :) 

afterwards we headed to the new starbucks located in the old wax museum (p.s. does anyone remember the wax museum? i have the most delightful memories from that place) and drank FREE coffee. the store opens officially on monday and is giving free tall drinks (any drink you want!) out all weekend…wooohoooo.

tomorrow at church, our carol series continues with a new carol featuring my hunk of burning love. if you haven’t checked out last years’, do so below and then come tomorrow night to adore! 5 or 7pm!

tonight my plans include sitting on the couch listening to james practice piano for his jazz finals and occasionally petting my sweet coco who is snuggled up beside me….straight bliss right thurrrr… 

xoxo, s.s.♥.

DIY // GOLD GLITTER SHOES

as you probably know, i have a slight obsession with gold. all gold everything is slowly becoming one of my mottos. i also am passionate about glitter. so let’s combine the two and add some shoes to the mix and there ya go, we have gold glitter shoes.

did you know you can pretty much gold glitter anything? and it’s incredibly easy as well! just follow the steps below…  

supplies needed: shoes, sandpaper, mod podge, glitter, paint brushes, masking tape, bowl

1. sandpaper shoe if using patent leather.

2. tape off everywhere you do not want glitter!

3. mix glitter and mod podge together in a plastic bowl until a thick glittery paste has developed.

4. start painting the shoe with the mixture.

5. keep painting..

6. just keep painting…..

7. let dry. then remove tape when absolutely dry.

8. paint the bottom of your shoe with nail polish if you prefer.

9. let dry.

10. voila! glittery shoe!

couldn’t resist sneaking this little one in…

aren’t they pretty? completely transformed shoe!

ok bed time for me…we’re getting our tree tomorrow and setting up the place…sooo excited!!!!!

stay gold as always,

s.s.♥.

TOFINO

james and i snuck away to tofino the weekend after adore conference. it was my first time to tofino (i know!!) you’d think after living on this island for 26 years, i would have experienced this gem of a place but noooooope.

on the drive up we started listening to the final instalment of the chronicles of narnia. those audiobooks have been incredible and saved us on viciously long drives on our californian road trip last april. the drive up was stunning and not as windy as i thought it would be (praise the Lord!!)

we stayed at middle beach lodge and absolutely loved it. it’s incredibly rustic and right on the beach. the room was super basic but they had a lovely great room with couches and a roaring fire. oh and my favourite part? they served fresh baked cookies every night! i highly recommend the place.

we ate at shelter on our first night. such great atmosphere and amazing food (thanks for the recommendation evan!) on our second day we ate a late lunch at tacofino(mmmmmm soooo goood.) 

we fortunately found great coffee at tofino coffee co. we caught them just before they closed on saturday and it was so good that we returned the next morning before the big drive home.

it was such a relaxing weekend and just what i needed after working super hard leading up to conference. 

enjoy the pics! sorry in advance for the photo dump but tofino is just too beautiful not to share.

where’s your favourite place to stay in tofino?

happy wednesday!

s.s.♥.