Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

These monsters were my post-holiday creation for friends and family.  A meal in and of itself.  With a bit of cinnamon fluffyness to cusion between the ginger layers.  Definitely would recommend narrowing the size a bit next time around.  Fills the home with the warm comfort of spices and delicious ginger...

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

3 3/4 cups Wheat Flour

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 Vegetable Shortening

1 Stick Unsalted Butter, softened

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 large Egg

3/4 cup Molasses

3/4 cup Buttermilk

(or substitute 1 Tbsp lemon juice w/ regular milk and let sit for 5 minutes)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, and Spices.  Set to the side, while in a larger bowl, with a hand mixer, combine Shortening, Butter and Brown Sugar.  Beat until smooth and fluffy.  Add in the egg, until incorporated and then scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Slowly add in half of the dry ingredients.  Stir in the molasses, and combine with the remainder of the dry ingredients and buttermilk.

Scoop dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Approx. 1/4 cup scoops for each cookie.  Into the oven they go "Good Luck!" (as Nana would say), and Bake for 15 minutes, until cookies are puffed.  Let cool on wire rack.

Cinnamon Fluffy Filling

2 Sticks Butter, melted

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1 jar Marshmallow Fluff

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Tbsp. Cinnamon (or more to taste)

Blend all ingredients together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes.)  Place to side, until cookies are cool.  To assemble pies, spread fluffy filling on one cookie bottom, and press together with the base of another.  Pies can be individually wrapped with plastic wrap and frozen, or refrigerated before serving if needed.

Harvest Granola

I sometimes consider if there is a GAA (granola addicted annonymous) group that I should be looking into.  It's a serious problem ... I think I consumed my weight in dried cranberries and rolled oats over Christmas, because I had made this as a gift for a few people, and ended up eating 75% of the jar I presented to my mom.

Shamefulness aside, I would like to share a yummy, super easy solve for the high priced granolas you might find at Whole Foods or in the cereal aisle.  In true fashion - measuring is just a guideline.  Put in as much or as little as you like.  Substitute.  Mix it up!

Unlike the boxed and bulk versions, fresh is best!  Nothing beats crispy delicious granola fresh from the oven.

Harvest Granola

3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

(bought in bulk for 89 cents/lb at Whole Foods - can't beat it)

handful of Flax Seeds

1/2 cup Wheat Bran

handful or 2 of Wheat Germ

1 cup Almonds

1 cup Walnuts

3/4 cup Shredded Coconut or Coconut Flakes

(I use unsweetened from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)

1/3 cup Agave Nectar

2 Tbsp Canola Oil

Raisins

Dried Cherries

Dried Cranberries

Dried Blueberries

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Combine oats, wheat bran, wheat germ, flax seeds, almonds, walnuts and coconut in large bowl.  Stir in Agave Nectar and oil.  Mix until evenly coated and crumbly.  Spread out on parchment paper in a large sheet pan with a bit of a side to it to prevent overflow and spillage when stirring.  Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.  Remove from the oven and toss in raisins, cranberries and blueberries.  I use about 2 cups all together - eyeball it and add as much or little as you like.  You can pull out ingredients you don't like, or add in ones you do (chocolate chips, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, etc).