Big Soft Ginger Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

You can find more great recipes on my blog:

www.pinkfigdesign.blogspot.com

Under the Pink Fig Recipe Collection Tab on the right side bar.

Here is the link to the cookie recipe on my blog:

http://pinkfigdesign.blogspot.com/2008/12/on-first-day-of-christmas-my-true-love.html

Welcome my friends to the wonderful and imaginative world of felt play food! Royal Rugrats had my daughter Lola and I baking up some serious fun with their beautiful felt kitchen utensils set. Lola is only 1 year old so she’s new to the baking scene, however that didn’t stop my little darling from diving in and exploring what each spatula and measuring spoon was like. She LOVED these and so do I!!

Royal Rugrats is a fantastically well stocked shop on Etsy featuring handmade felt play sets including things like vegetables, peanut butter sandwiches, strawberries, bacon and eggs, cookies, spaghetti and even sushi!! Lola received the precious kitchen utensils and some little sugar cookies designed for little fingers and big imaginations in mind. I fell immediately in love with the quality and beauty of each piece in her set, they are sewn with great care and I expect they will last Lola for many years of fun. I also loved the sizing of each piece in Lola’s set, they were perfect for her and I know any little child would be thrilled to have a play set of their own. It’s just the type of thing I would have squealed about when I was a kid.

Brooke is the owner and designer behind the Royal Rugrats products, she has a fashion design degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and a merchandising degree from Oneonta State University. Brooke began her business creating these soft play foods and sets because she didn’t like the hard plastic kinds available in stores. Then she discovered the beauty of working with felt to create her designs and became hooked, she now runs Royal Rugrats Yummies full time and the response to her store has been incredible.

We’d like to invite you to bake up some Felt Fun of your very own. This type of play is so wonderful for children, it broadens their minds and helps their imaginations to dance with creativity. Lola and I will be play baking again today, why don’t you stop by Royal Rugrats and join us. – XO Daria

GIVEAWAY:
We think these soft felt foods are the cutest thing going, but you don’t have to take my word for it! Royal Rugrats is giving away 1 Kitchen Utensil set (value $22) to a viewer in Canada or the US. Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway:

PROMOTION:
Additionally they are offering a SWEET AS CAN BE Promotion for our readers – For a shop promo on either her Website or ETSY shop they will give the 3 Valentines cookies to anyone who makes a purchase!! Simply purchase your order and put “Boutique Cafe Cookies” in the message area on either site and they will be added to the order for FREE! This is a limited time offer good until February 10th, 2011.

My “SWEET” friend Jenny aka The Dessert Darling posted this adorable video/tutorial with Leslie Sarna, the “Dainty Vegetarian”. Together they whip up three different Halloween themed cupcakes that are easy and delicious to boot! I’m definitely making those precious pumpkin cupcakes with my kids this week. Which ones will you be making?

Jenny your beautiful Dessert Darling host takes you through the wonderful world of indulgence on her blog. If you’re going to indulge, why not do it right?! Jenny showcases the Best of the Best when it comes to cakes, cookies, desserts and treats. Plus she is just infectiously adorable! – Happy Halloween, let us know how your cupcakes turned out. – XOXO Daria

Please take a moment to Follow Dessert Darling on Twitter
And Like her Facebook group page as well!

Though we did an apron review only a couple weeks ago, it’s never too soon to do another one! Fashionable aprons are all the rage and it’s no wonder why. With all the fun designs and flirty styles, every girl should have at least one hostess-with-the-mostess apron. If you are still on the hunt for the perfect apron, look no further than D-Lux 57. These aprons are some of the most delicious ones you’ll find!

D-Lux 57 aprons come in three sizes for three ages of cooks: adult, tween and little. You can coordinate to create the perfect mother/daughter set or even grandmother/granddaughter set! The aprons are fully lined so everyone’s party clothes are protected from spills and splatters. D-Lux 57’s 100% cotton fabrics, which come from the quilting market, are of the highest quality, made in the USA and known for their soft feel.

From vintage to modern to retro, the fashion prints on these aprons are some of the yummiest around. Two of my daughters (the 11-year-old and 1-year-old) and I are now the proud wearers of D-Lux 57 aprons. (Well, I’m the proud wearer…the other two have to wait for theirs until I can buy a third for the 8-year-old.) But before I could be wowed by the aprons I found myself adoring the matching fabric keepsake envelope in which the aprons arrived. The envelope, made of the same high-quality fabric and craftsmanship, is an ingenious way to store these aprons. The hooks in my pantry are getting a bit crowded and the keepsake envelope means I can stack the aprons neatly on a shelf or in a kitchen drawer. Plus they make for great gift packaging, and I always love a product that comes in its own packaging!

Once I got past the sweet little pouch and pulled out my Dottie Aqua & Brown apron, the drool started, and it continued until I had opened the tween-size Wild Safari and the little cook Asian Kids aprons. (I think I’m experiencing some flashback drool right now…) The fabric was just as soft as promised and the prints just as delicious. The style of the adult and tween aprons seems like it would fit a variety of body shapes and sizes, and the kimono-type styling of the little cook apron was the perfect variation on a theme. I am dying for my baby to get a little older so she can toddle around the kitchen—or the craft table—in her D-Lux 57 apron!

D-Lux 57’s delicious aprons are already getting noticed. Check out this YouTube clip from a recent Desperate Housewives commercial depicting Bri wearing the Pink Pears apron.

D-Lux 57 just introduced a new line of laminated plasticware that includes trays and bowls and coordinates with their beautiful aprons. True to D-Lux 57’s own words, “Cooking never looked so good.”—Emily

* Promotion! D-Lux 57 is offering Daily Dish readers 10% off plus free shipping on their order! Simply enter code BCDD101130 at checkout. Offer expires December 31st.

Do you have a Love Affair with Sugar? If so, we have found the store for you!

“A Sugar Affair” on Etsy whips up some wondrous baked goodies and confections that will tempt your tastebuds and keep you coming back for more. What a great way to have homemade baking on hand – the Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods are calling my name. She also offers Pirate and Princess themed cookies, brownies, marshmallow pops and much more.

Check out A SUGAR AFFAIR on Etsy >>

I probably own a few too many mixing bowls considering I seem to use the same two or three over and over again, but the latest addition to my collection out-mixes the rest. The Flex-It mixing bowl from iSi is my new best friend, and here’s why.

First, the Flex-It bowl is made from silicone, and if you’re familiar with silicone bakeware this means it is flexible, microwave safe, dishwasher safe, and heat resistant (this bowl’s resistant up to 490°F). Being flexible this bowl is ideal for pouring ingredients into a narrow space such as a stand mixer or food processor. The bottom has a nice rigid base which keeps it stable while mixing, and the smooth inside makes it super easy to scrape out every last drop of brownie batter. (Yes, I’m one of those who has to have every last drop of batter out of the bowl and in the pan.) The Flex-It bowl has a bit of texture on the outside so it’s easy to grasp and easy to turn as your mixing.

I received a set of all three sizes (1-, 1½-, and 2-quart sizes) in white, and I have used them all! Tonight I whipped up some waffle batter (we love breakfast for dinner) and found I had less mess going from bowl to waffle iron. I also love that I was able to scrape every last bit of batter from the sides. I haven’t yet tried these in the oven but I bet they’d make for a great way to keep a bowl of veggies warm or other side dish. iSi even offers a set of prep bowls with lids—I may have to make a purchase! If you’re looking to mix it up without messing it up, then iSi’s Flex-It bowls are for you.—Emily

Everything you need to create magical memories with your child, is jam packed into The Playful Chef Kit available on Chocolate Cake Club’s website. This spectacular kit knocked my socks off, everything is included and is child sized to make their baking experience a joyous one.

The Playful Chef kit comes in a clear backpack that can be easily toted over to Grandma’s house, or simply hung up in your pantry for co-baking with your child. Inside you’ll find an apron for your little chef along with handy spatula, wisk, small bow, measuring cups and much much more – 10 cooking tools to be exact! You also receive several handy recipes to make with your child, these are so well planned out on laminated cards. They include shopping lists, planning, prep work required and even safety. The recipe for Chocolate Mountain Lava Cake was of course the hit with my son (and me too).

What I loved most is the time I was able to spend with my son Brigs, he loves to mix and pour, and his big smile was well worth the effort and clean up afterwards. You can pick up your own Playful Chef Baking Kit at Chocolate Cake Club’s website, be sure to search around as they offer so many unique and fun products for your kids. I loved their site! They also break down product suggestions by whatever your need might be (ie: traveling with kids, helping baby sleep, family fun actives etc.).

Cooking with your children can be so much fun and a great learning experince. They get to see first hand how to measure, how to plan, how to make a shopping list, and how to clean up and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Happy Baking! – Daria