Cookie Monsters

Another way I'm trying improve our diets is baking and making more of our "treat" food and not buying store-bought cookies and sweets.

But my God, you guys, the cookies my family is going through! I'm not sure if the ones I'm making are better than the Little Debbie's they were used to or if they WERE REALLY EATING THAT MANY SWEETS A DAY!

I made a large batch of oatmeal raisin cookies on Saturday and a batch of World Peace Chocolate cookies on Monday (because the oatmeal raisins were gone).

Today (Wednesday), there are no more cookies in my house.

People, I am used to making a batch of cookies a month, much less two a week!

This means one of two things:

• We are going to get more healthy because we are going to be eating less sweets (because we run out of them mid-week).
• I am going to have to buy at least one box of something store-bought to mix in with the homemade sweets.

I'll let you know what happens!

Oh, and these cookies - they really could broker a World Peace.....

Out of the oven

My husband and son have started to appreciate the nights I make bread, usually twice a week.

When it comes out of the oven, slathered in real butter, you can't beat it.

And frankly, I love that I have SOMETHING, that I cook, that impresses them so much.

I wish I could somehow convey the smell to you, over the Internet.........mmmmmmm.

Chewy ginger cookies

I started making these cookies last year, when I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website. Everyone in my house loves them and they are my FAVORITES!

If you have always loved gingersnap cookies, but would love them even more if they were chewy - this is the cookie for you.

I have always made this recipe with the Crisco, but I will experiment using butter next time and report back to you. Crisco is definitely not on the "healthy" cooking staples list. It's a trans-fat, the worst kind of fat. And not natural at all - Crisco is definitely a man-made food.

The first time I made these, I did have to go out and buy the cardamom. It's a very strong spice, seemingly from the ginger and/or cinnamon family. I'm still using the same bottle of cardamom and I have even put it in some other things too, like homemade applesauce and apple pie.

• 1 cup Sugar
• ¾ cups Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
• ¼ cups Molasses
• 1 whole Egg
• 2 cups Flour
• 2-½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• ½ teaspoons Ground Cloves
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cardamom
• ¼ teaspoons Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg together until well combined. Dump in dry ingredients, stirring dry ingredients together lightly. Mix together until dough is combined.

In your hands roll dough into walnut-sized balls, then generously coat each ball with sugar. Place balls on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, allowing to bake for about a minute after cookies begin to crack.

Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool…though these are delicious while still warm.

I ate about half of the cookies in this picture - right out of the oven!