Starbucks "Christmas" Gingerbread Loaf

Yikes! It's been nearly a month since I've blogged...not good! So in celebration of red cups returning to Starbucks yesterday...I'm re-blogging my favourite post from last Christmas...read here:) My goal for this season is to actually add a photo to the post!!ENJOY! I can't wait to make this with my homemade applesauce....mmm:)

Starbucks "Christmas" Gingerbread Loaf

Alright...no photo yet of this one since it gets gobbled up WAY too quickly! However, I can guarantee that the majority of you know exactly what loaf I am talking about that Starbucks carries this glorious time of year! It's amazing. I tweaked with this recipe last Christmas season when the loaf was reintroduced to me through Starbucks.

I knew that I could not fully enjoy their version of it for two reasons. One, I had my baby weight from Levi to deal with. Two, I knew theirs had zero nutritional value in it!

It's wonderful and amazing, with tea or coffee or steamed milk...and makes a wonderful hostess gift (especially when topped with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting and chunks of candied ginger!)

This is one of those Christmas recipes that I limit myself to making only during November and December to keep it special...it's that good!

Starbucks "Christmas" Gingerbread Loaf

1 1/2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
2 tsps ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsps ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, or coconut oil, softened
1/2 cup maple syrup or agave
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp baking soda

FROSTING (OPTIONAL)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.
Then set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and syrup until fluffy.

Mix baking soda into applesauce and stir into creamed butter mixture.
Add flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a
toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

FROSTING:
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in confectioner’s sugar.

Once the cake has cooled, evenly spread the frosting on top. Decorate with chopped candied orange peel or candied ginger .

Fun Shaped Graham Cracker Cookies!

Okay...so this new healthy recipe was supposed to be a lovely addition to Levi's Giraffe Themed FIRST Birthday Party we hosted on Sunday...but..the whole idea of a giraffe cookie cutter just isn't a good thing I realized very quickly! WAY too long of a neck and too skinny of a tail! After about half a dozen, I gave up! Still needed to use up this wonderful dough that I had made...so I grabbed my TWO boxes of cookie cutters (used to teach Kindergarten...kinda goes with the trade!)..and told Noah to pick out his favourites...and that he did! It was a fun event for both of us! The picture isn't too wonderful, but the cookies taste great...were pretty simple to make, and are now a fun and healthy homemade snack for Noah to look forward to! He loves choosing between trains, airplanes, buses, circles, hands or cars to eat!

Graham Cracker Cookies

2 1/2 Cups Spelt Flour
1/4 Cup Dark Brown Cane Sugar, packed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Butter, chilled & cubed (sub in Coconut Oil and these are vegan)
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a food processor or mixer combine the first 6 ingredients.
3. Add cubed butter to the mix and pulse/mix until it resembles coarse meal.
4. Add honey and water and continue to mix until it all combines.
5. Remove and shape the dough into a flat disk
6. Roll dough out until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into crackers or shapes.
7. Bake for 12 minutes.
8. Cool and serve

These would freeze really well too!

Fluffy Spiced Pancakes

It seems like we've eaten A LOT in our house this past week based on how far behind I am on posting recipes!! So here we go...let's see how many I can get up during the boys' nap time!



Jay treated us to these on Friday morning! (Sorry for the blurry picture!) He taught Noah at a very young age how to say "pancakes, mommy?" in the morning...sounds more like "pass-icks"...which we think is super cute and results in us making them for him everytime! This time Jay took his turn in the kitchen though...gotta love that!

Stumbled upon this recipe in the complimentary magazine that you get at the register in the liqour store...and then made a few healthy changes:)

Great for a fall morning...and extra great with some Almond or Peanut Butter on top and real Maple Syrup! That's how we eat them at our house! Sometimes a sliced banana too! While eating these I thought that some Apple Butter would also taste yummy smeared on top!

Fluffy Spiced Pancakes

3 large eggs, separated
1 3/4 cup almond milk...or milk of choice
1 Tbsp coconut oil..or butter
2 tsp molasses
1 1/2 cups spelt flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Whip the egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. In another bowl combine egg yolks, milk, butter and molasses. Beat until blended. Add remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Batter is ready to go!

These would make a great Thanksgiving morning breakfast:) ENJOY!