gingerbread men & happy holidays

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. —Confucius

Last night was the winter solstice, the longest and darkest night, when we momentarily stand still and swing back the other way; a perfect time to sit down with a cup of tea and plate of cookies and reflect on a year gone by. And what a year it has been. Back in January, I had a good idea of how 2019 would turn out but it seems the universe had other plans and obediently, I let myself get pulled along by the currents as that is what felt good and right. Four years ago, when I quit my engineering job and months later, when I started this blog, I would never have imagined a new career was in the making. But it was. This year, I launched my photography business. I’ll still be blogging, a lot less perhaps, and I’ll still take on freelance writing whenever it comes along, but mostly, I’ll go where my heart leads.

And this is my new year’s wish for you too… listen to your heart and go where it takes you. Life has an incredible way of surprising us.

Lastly, thank you for your continued support and interest in my work. And a special thanks to those who asked for this recipe after seeing the cookies on my Instagram page… what a pleasure it is to write here in this space…. I’d almost forgotten.

Love,

Annika, xoxo

Gingerbread Men (adapted from Joy of Baking)

• 114 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 65 g raw sugar
• 250 g fancy molasses
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 350 g whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp dried ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground clove

1. Mix flour, salt, baking soda and spices in a medium sized bowl.
2. In a large bowl (or bowl of stand mixer), beat the butter and the sugar until well combined and smooth. Add egg and molasses and beat until well combined and smooth. (Scrape sides as required.)
3. Add the dry ingredients and beat into a homogeneous dough. Again, scrape sides as required.
4. Cover the bowl with a large plate and place in the fridge to cool for at least 2-3 hours. It will be easier to work with.
5. When ready to make cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Roll out the dough to half a centimeter and cut out shapes using your favourite cookie cutters.
7. Place cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8-10 minutes.