Santa's Favoritest Contest: Molasses Cookies

These cookies are made at my house and my parents house every year in large quantity at Christmas.  Often they are found on treat plates we deliver to friends, and definitely show up at parties and all day on Christmas. Without fail, I am always asked for the recipe, and I am happy to oblige every time.  Mom found it on the back of the bottle of molasses about 15 or 20 years ago, and they have been a hit ever since!  Spicy and gingery, these are a great soft and chewy alternative to the hard gingersnaps! They always disappear quickly...in fact, I made them yesterday and when I took a picture of them today, 3/4 of them were gone!

Molasses Cookies

3/4 c shortening
1 c sugar, plus extra for rolling
1/4 c molasses
1 egg
2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Cream together shortening and sugar, add molasses and egg and beat well.  Add flour and continue to mix.  Add baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger and beat to combine.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours before baking.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll dough into small balls (about a tsp and a half), and then roll the balls into the extra sugar, place about an inch apart on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Cool on racks.

Last minute Gift Shopping?

Looking to give one of our terrific Handmade treats or treasures like you can through The Handmade Heritage, but are having a difficult time figuring out just which one or which color or which flavor?  Or are you looking for an easier to way to give a gift to someone overseas?

Well, here is one of the old stand-bys: give a Gift Certificate!

When you order your gift certificate, there is a question on the end of the order form which asks what card you want sent.  That is where you can tell us if this is for Christmas, a birthday, anniversary, graduation, whatever gift, and we will put the gift certificate inside a handmade card for that occasion.  Please also state if you have a special note you want included, and what that note should say.

If you want your gift certificate emailed, just enter the email address you want us to send the gift certificate to in the address line of the order sheet.  We will usually get the gift certificate sent out within 12 hours of less of your order.Are you looking to give something from one of our products but just don't know which one?  Do you have a niece who would love a headband but you just don't know which color?  Or do you want to give one of our delicious batches of fudge, but just don't know which flavor?  One of the best ways to deal with such a predicament is to just give a gift certificate so they can decide!  With so many options and so little time, what could be simpler?

Gift Certificate

$10 Certificate $10.00    $15 Certificate $15.00    $25 Certificate $25.00    $30 Certificate $30.00    $50 Certificate $50.00    $75 Certificate $75.00

Santa's Favoritest Contest, Sunrise Recipes, and Finger Nibbles Contests!

Well, we had so much fun with the last contest, we thought we would do it all over again...times 3!

"Santa's Favoritest" is what we are calling our first recipe contest.  All the world over, cookies have been played with, enjoyed, and perfected to the degree that each family seems to have their own tradition for what is the best to lay out on Christmas Eve.  So we thought that we would ask Santa to take a break from getting ready for his midnight flight to pick out his favorite from all of the recipes we are looking for everyone to contribute!  You have until Dec 22rd to get all those terrific cookies recipes entered, just put it into a comment at the end of this post, or in an email to handmadeheritage@gmail.com (just make sure that no matter what you leave the info for us to reach you).  No cookie mixes, please.  We'll send out the winning announcement Dec 23rd, just in time for you to lay that favoritest of treats out on that special thank you plate...with the winner receiving a special Christmas Eve plate full of treats and goodies of their very own!

The second contest I spoke of is our Sunrise Recipes competition.  In our house, we keep a tradition that has been passed down in my family of having a special Christmas Breakfast Feast.  I will go into the traditional details later, but suffice to say we thought we would see what everyone's favorite breakfast recipes are and how they stack up with each other.  The deadline for submissions is Dec 22nd, with the winning announcement scheduled for Dec 27th.  With a prize package of a breakfast tray, hot drink mixes, and scones how can you not try for this one?!

The third contest is just in time to help everyone with those late night munchies you and your friends and family suffer while waiting for the final countdown to the new year.  So to really help kick the party into a celebration, we are hosting a recipe contest to see what kinds of appetizers everyone really likes to enjoy and share!  The deadline for this contest is again Dec 22nd, with the winning announcement coming Dec 29th...just in time to get stocked up for your New Year's Celebration!  So everyone submit those recipes, and we'll find out just who gets to have their own special service platter filled with goodies and customized just for them to show off their win!