Do you ever sort of cringe thinking of all that flour you’ll have to slop on your counters when it’s time to do gingerbread cookies with your kids? I know I do, I still don’t have a great way of cleaning flour off of my counters (btw, if you have a good trick, leave a comment below). So, lucky for me I have a wonderful mother who gave me the recipe she would do with my brothers when they were little-can you imagine trying to do gingerbread cookies+flour+FOUR boys under the age of FIVE? Yeah…you know she had to find a better way. Now I’m sharing it with you, all food storage style, so you can have a much easier Christmas and a better time making cookies with your kids this year! (This recipe is very similar to the Cookie Clay Dough, I’ve posted about before)

KID FRIENDLY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

1 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
2/3 Cup Molasses
In a small saucepan, combine the above 3 ingredients. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Let stand 10 minutes.

1 Egg, large and beaten (1 T. dry egg powder + 2 T. water)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Beat together in a large mixing bowl and add the butter mixture. Mix together.

4 Cups Flour (2 Cups wheat and 2 Cups white)
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
Combine all of the above dry ingredients. Gradually add to wet mixture above and mix well.
Cover and chill for about two hours.

Form or mold into balls, ropes, or animals, etc.
This recipe can also be rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters. Usually no flour is needed on the counter or rolling pin. A spatula is all that is needed for the transfer to the cookie sheet. However, I do dip the cookie cutters in flour for easy removal from the cutters. This dough works especially well for cookie cutters that imprint a design as the design holds up well in baking.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.

To make 8 Gingerbread Teddy Bears:
Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Have each of 8 children make from their piece of dough; one 2 inch ball for body, one one inch ball for head, four 1/2 inch balls for hands and feet, two 3/8 inch balls for ears. Place the 2 inch ball on a foil-lined baking sheets for the bear body; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Position the 1 inch balls for the head; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Attach four 1/2 inch balls to the bear for arms and legs. Attach two 3/8 inch balls for bear ears. Add chocolate chips for eyes, noses and buttons.

OR Shape dough into eight balls, 2 inches each; eight balls, 1 inch each; 32 balls 1/2 inch each; and 16 3/8 in each. Place the 2 inch balls on three foil-lined baking sheets for bodies of 8 bears; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Position the 1 inch balls for heads; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Attach four 1/2 inch balls to each bear for arms and legs. Attach two 3/8 inch balls for ears. Add chocolate chips for eyes, noses and buttons.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until set.
Cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Frost bows on bear necks with red frosting/piping tubes.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Okay so I’ll give you a major high five if you know what Pfeffernusse are. Basically, it’s a really delicious German spice cookie that my grandmother would bring us. Unfortunately, store bought these cookies are bland, stale, and pretty gross. So, I was really excited to find this recipe and try it out-to find out that they are FAB-U-LOUS! (So good, in fact, that I had to put them in the freezer so I’d stop eating them…for you know…breakfast, lunch, dinner…you get the idea.) If you have any German in you, or are wanting to try something different this year, this is for you! (This is actually what I made for my cooking club this month!)

FOOD STORAGE PFEFFERNUSSE

1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs (2 T. dry egg powder + 1/4 C. water)
4 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons anise extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Stir together the molasses, honey, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until creamy. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the eggs.

Combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, cardamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, anise, cinnamon, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add the molasses mixture and stir until thoroughly combines. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll the dough into acorn-sized balls. Arrange on baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart.

Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes. Move to a rack to cool. Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

I don’t know if anyone has ever spent what seems like a lifetime looking for a really good (dare I say…) the BEST Cranberry Orange bread…like I have but I was super excited when my cousin brought this to me for a Christmas present. She gave it out as neighborhood gifts (we live in the same neighborhood) and since then the whole neighborhood has started making it. It is so delicious, so orange, and so cranberry. I’ve even made it lower fat by adding in beans from my food storage instead of the oil and it was still oh so delicious.

FOOD STORAGE CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

I’ve been dieing to see if beating powdered egg whites from my food storage actually works (especially, since a local tv chef told me it wouldn’t…) and I was so pleased to see that it DOES! Since then, I’ve tried it in these cookies, Divinity (will post on that later), waffles, and soon a Lemon Chiffon cake. So if any of you are brave enough to diet through the holidays, are trying to give up gluten, or are looking for a creative and easy alternative to rice krispy treats…this is the cookie for you! Don’t believe me?  Check out all the reasons why I love this cookie!

1. GLUTEN FREE
2. Very low calorie. You can have FIVE for the price of ONE chocolate chip cookie.
3. Few ingredients (only 6 to be exact)
4. Low-fat
5. Can be made entirely from your pantry! (No refrigerated ingredients required)
6. Gourmet looking and tasting.

Plus, don’t they look really delicious? (Think a cookie that melts in your mouth!) Because beating egg whites can be scary (it was for me, for an embarassingly long time…*ahem* you know..until I tried it in powdered form) so I also made a how-to video so you can see how truly easy these gourmet cookies are to make!

GLUTEN-FREE FOOD STORAGE MERINGUES

3 egg whites (1 T. powdered egg whites + 3 T. water)
1/8 t. cream of tartar
1/8 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
3/4 C. sugar
1 C. mini chocolate chips (or nuts, dates, raisins)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Mix in sugar 1 T. at a time until stiff peaks form. Using two spoons, drop spoonfuls of meringue on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes. Then turn oven off and allow to sit in oven for 90 minutes. Store in air tight container.

If you’re wondering where to get powdered egg whites, currently you can get them from Honeyville Grains.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Okay, Diana get’s total food storage brownie points.  Not only does this recipe use great food storage ingredients, it  was also baked in the Sun Oven! Diana got this recipe from http://sunoven.com where they have a lot of great Sun Oven Recipes for you to try.

Sun Oven Applesauce Muffins

Ingredients

Topping:

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour (whole wheat would work great as well!)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, at room temperature (1 T. dry egg powder with 2 T. water)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (1/2 cup white sugar with 1/2 TBS
molasses mixed in)
1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce (made from my food storage
dehydrated apples then blended in blender)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup milk (1 1/2 TBS powdered milk plus 1/4 cup water)

Equipment

Two muffin pans with six indentations each with cooking spray,
silicone muffin molds and a baking pan, or a combination.

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat. Spray muffin tins or molds with
cooking spray.

Topping:

Mix together sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir in butter until
blended.

Muffins:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking
powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until well combined. Set
aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and the egg
until thick and pale brown, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the applesauce,
melted butter, and milk, until blended. Use a wooden spoon to stir
the flour mixture into the liquid ingredients until moistened.

Fill the prepared tins three-quarters full. Sprinkle topping over
each muffin. Bake in Sun Oven until muffins are lightly browned,
about 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin
should come out with a crumb or two attached.

Makes 12 to 18 muffins.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Have you ever had the deliciousness that is Great Harvest Pumpkin Bread? Have you ever wished you could re-create it….at home…using your food storage? Well maybe I’m the only one that wishes for making it at home AND food storage but at any rate, I found a great recipe (from extreme dinner makeover) that solves both problems and tastes just like Great Harvest pumpkin bread. (Please excuse the lack of the cool recipe feature…working on getting it to work with the new layout)

FOOD STORAGE GREAT HARVEST PUMPKIN BREAD

2 1/2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
16 oz cooked or canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 cup oil (or 1 cup bean puree)
4 eggs, beaten lightly (1/4 cup dry egg powder + 1/2 cup water)
2/3 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips ( I did mine with out, not a huge fan of pumpkin and chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two (9×5 inch) loaf pans or three (8×4 inch) loaf pans.
Mix flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside.
Mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, and 2/3 cup water together and stir into dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Place batter in prepared pans.
Bake 60 or 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Pumpkin is a great for whole wheat recipes….and tummies.  And since this is the season for pumpkin, I figured it would be a great time to mix it with some food storage.  Why is pumpkin so great for food storage and whole wheat recipes?  Well, it’s simple really:  The five ingredients that make for great whole wheat recipes are

1. vegetable or fruit puree (like pumpkin, banana, zucchini)
2. strong spices (like cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin pie spice)
3. chocolate (lets be honest, everything tastes a little better with some chocolate)
4. oats and/or nuts(lends itself very well to the taste of whole wheat)
5. equal amounts of brown sugar and white sugar

And the best thing about most pumpkin recipes is that they will ask for one or more of the ingredients that make your recipe awesome as a whole wheat recipe!

Here is the recipe I made for Food Storage Cooking Club: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.  It’s a recipe I got from my aunt and I couldn’t get it out of my head.  Luckily, it was just as delicious (if not more so) as it sounded!

PUMPKIN CARAMEL ROLLS

Food Storage Pumpkin Caramel Rolls

Print

Recipe type: Breakfast

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 12 mins

Total time: 42 mins

Serves: 12+

This recipe is great for whole wheat and for taste buds. It’s actually quite amazing and fast to make!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tblsp yeast
• 1/2 cup oil (I used 1/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs (2 T. dry egg powder and NO WATER)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 5 – 5 1/2 cups flour (Use at least 1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour)
• 1/4 melted or softened butter, to spread on the dough
• 2 Tblsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
• Caramel Topping:
• Make this while Cinnamon Rolls are resting or baking.
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 packed Brown Sugar
• 3 Tblsp milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup powdered Sugar
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Mix sugar, yeast, oil, water and pumpkin. Let stand 15 minutes while getting your other ingredients Add eggs, salt, cloves, cinnamon, flour and knead 5 minutes. (Dough maybe sticky make sure you don’t add too much flour, a good test is to dip your fingers in flour and touch the dough. If it sticks you need more flour, if it doesn’t then it is good. Make sure you spray your hands and countertop with a non-stick spray when you are getting the dough out of your bowl)
2. Roll to rectangle 1/4″ thick
3. Spread butter on dough
4. Combine cinnamon and brown sugar and sprinkle on top of butter
5. Roll up the cinnamon rolls and cut in 1″ thick slices with string or knife.
6. Place on greased (I use reynolds quick release foil or parchment and don’t grease the pan or have any clean up) cookie sheet and let rest 15 minutes, or more.
7. Bake 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Meanwhile, make your Caramel Topping by melting the butter in a saucepan. Stir in Brown sugar plus milk and cook on low for 1 minute. Cool slightly (just so it is not HOT) and add vanilla, sugar, and salt. Stir with Wisk until well blended. Drizzle/spread rolls with frosting when they come out of the oven.
9. Frost, and eat warm. Rolls may be re-warmed in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Notes

If you want to make the dough entirely whole wheat, simply replace the white sugar with brown sugar and add in 1/4 C. gluten to the dough.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe

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WANT MORE FOOD STORAGE PUMPKIN RECIPES?

Low-Fat Pumpkin Brownies
Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin Pie
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Fall Harvest Alfredo
Out of this World Pumpkin Cookies
Blender Pumpkin Waffles with Caramel Syrup
Impossible Blender Pumpkin Pie
Classic Pumpkin Pie

SHARE WITH US!

Which recipe are you planning on doing with your friends? Let us all know over at my facebook page! or send an email to efsshowoffs(at)gmail(dot)com

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Who doesn’t love a good brownie recipe that also includes food storage? I was so happy to receive this recipe for all of us to try. It has beans, wheat, and honey. Sounds great! This recipe is from Sade and she says…

“Hey Crystal,
You inspired me to try these and I’m so glad you did!! These little morsels of heaven were fantastic!! And as you said we wouldn’t be able to taste the beans at all! Thanks so much, I’ll send along the picture and the recipe in case anyone else would like to make these, they are truly food storage brownies!!”

Food Storage Pioneer Brownies: Food Storage Dessert Recipe

Print

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

This is truly a food storage brownie!

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. butter (1/4 C. black bean puree and ¼ c. oil)
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2/3 c. honey
• 2 Lg. Eggs ( I used powdered)
• 1/2 C. wheat flour
• 1/2 C. cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients and mix well. Put in 9×9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for
2. -30 min.

Notes

**Tip** Cut brownies with a plastic knife and they cut nicer…I have NO
idea why but it does work!

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe

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SHARE WITH US!

Do you have a great idea, recipe or food storage tip you’d love to share?! Email me at efsshowoffs(at)gmail(dot)com! We’d all love to hear from you!

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Alright, just to prove you can take any favorite recipe and convert it to a food storage recipe. I found this recipe in the Friend Magazine (a religious children’s magazine) and knew it was perfect for food storage AND our Easter breakfast this year and hopefully every year after this! The dough is extremely light and fluffy and full of flavor….and now food storage! Now, some of you may be skeptical (not of the food storage) but of the ability to make a roll like this the morning of Easter and I don’t blame you! That’s why I will teach you a Super Mom Secret in the video (along with how to make the buns) so that you have NO mess, NO stress Easter morning. I promise it doesn’t get better than this!

BUNNY BUNS FOOD STORAGE STYLE

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 t. yeast)
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling (3 T. non instant milk powder OR 1/3 c. instant milk powder + 1 C. water-I added my water to the 1/4 c. water mentioned above for dissolving my east)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten (2 T. dry egg powder and NO WATER)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
5 1/2 cups flour, sifted (I used 3/4 c. whole WHITE wheat flour and the rest bread flour)

Plain Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 teaspoon butter
Orange Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 c. orange juice, 1 teaspoon butter, and 1 t. grated orange peel

1. Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and set aside.
2. In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel.
3. Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.
4. Knead dough 5–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.
6. Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.
7. Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12–15 minutes.
8. For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together. Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm.

SECRET SUPER MOM TIP!

Turn these into brown and serve rolls! Make them the day before (or even a couple of days before). After the buns are shaped rise to 1/3-1/2 the way to being doubled (so not all the way doubled). Cook in a 275 degree oven for 13-15 minutes. They should be blond in color and set (when you jiggle the pan they shouldn’t jiggle with it). Cool and cover. When you’re ready to eat them, pop them into a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove and glaze-SERVE WARM! These buns will be slightly brown on top and warmed through.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Just in time for your Easter or Mother’s Day Brunch!  If you missed it, here I am with Darin from Studio 5 showing how to make a very easy food storage omelet using powdered eggs and powdered milk.  It’s a no fail approach to making an omelet to serve a lot of people in little time…and uses food storage.  It doesn’t get much better than that!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Ingredients:

6 Eggs (1/3 C. Dehydrated Eggs +2/3 C. Water)
1 C. Milk (3 T. Powdered Milk + 1 C. Water)
1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 t. Slat
1/4 t. Pepper
1 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Method:

Directions: 1) Place eggs and milk in a blender. Add the flour, salt and pepper; cover and process until smooth. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until eggs are set. 2) Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up in pan, starteng with a short side. Place with seam side down on a serving platter. Cut into 3/4 inch slices. Serves: 6 TIP: If yours puffs up, don’t worry. Just poke holes in the “bubbles” and it will still roll up fine.

If you want even more food storage recipes for an upcoming brunch, click HERE to download my free Food Storage Brunch Handout.

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.