Trinity Christmas Treats 2014

A box of this year's Trinity Christmas Treats. Each box contains 45 treats.

After weeks and weeks of planning, preparation and work, this year's Trinity Christmas Treats are finally packed and ready to be delivered. The annual fundraiser is a project that takes a tremendous amount of energy but it's for a very good cause. All proceeds go to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's Food Ministries which supports The Wednesday Community Meal.

I owe so much to all the wonderful volunteers who helped this year. Together we filled 100 boxes—That's 4,500 treats! Thank you Cheryl, Dave, Cindy, Mary, Terri, Martha, Leah, Nancy, Tom, Anne, Tiffany, Linda, and Madeline! I am grateful for your hard work, support and friendship.

Here are some pics from our busy week:

One of my first jobs was tackling the gingerbread snowflakes that grace the outside of the box.

After outline and flooding the cookies, I added piped details to every cookie.

After the royal icing dried, I packaged each snowflake in a cellophane bag.

Stacks of peppermint bark ready to be packaged.

I put my new baker's rack to good use cooling trays Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Sea Salt Bark.

The delicious dark chocolate bark ready to be packaged.

Then it was time to make Russian Tea Cakes. Cheryl, Terri and Mary also helped by making doughs ahead of time so that we could spend one day in the church kitchen just focusing on the baking.

The baking team.

Finished cookies counted and placed in cupcake papers for the boxes.

Walnut Logs cooling after being dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with chopped walnuts.

Chocolate shortbread drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes.

Martha and Cindy filling the boxes.

Madeline and Mary working together to add ruglach to the boxes.

The bottom layer clockwise from top left: Cranberry Chews, Maple Cinnamon Chip Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread, Vanilla Shortbread, Ruglach, Ginger Molasses Cookies, Linzer Cookies and Russian Tea Cakes.

The top layer clockwise from top left: Peppermint Bark, Ginger Molasses Cookies, Brownie Biscotti, Walnut Logs, Cranberry Chews, Ruglach and Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Sea Salt Bark.

Cookie Sale Time

Gingerbread Snowflakes

It's hard to believe, but it's already time for another Christmas Cookie Box sale to benefit hunger ministries at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Boy the year went by fast!

For me, the annual sale is a lot of work but it's also a lot of fun because I get to bake thousands of cookies with my friends.

Each box contains more than 40 all-butter cookies and is artfully packaged with a shiny red bow and decorated gingerbread cookie like these pretty white on white snowflakes that I made. Inside the box are shortbread cookies, brownie biscotti, ruglach, Linzer cookies and Russian teacakes, just to name a few.

Next Sunday, we will be pre-selling the boxes in Kempton Hall at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th Ave) between 9 a.m. and noon and this is the only way to buy a box, so here's additional information:

It’s once again time for the Annual Christmas Cookie Box sale benefiting hunger ministries at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.  This is our largest fundraiser of the year. Each box contains 40 + delicious all-butter cookies, made in-house by a team of bakers from the Wednesday Community Meal.  Cookie boxes are artfully packaged and make wonderful gifts!  The cost is $40 with 90% of the proceeds going directly to Hunger Ministries.  Boxes can be pre-ordered on Sunday Dec. 7 in Kempton Hall before and after the 10 a.m. service.  Pick up must be on Sunday, Dec 14th between 9 a.m. and noon in Kempton Hall.  We do require pre-ordering and payment at time of order (cash, check or credit card).  

Wrapped And Ready

I just thought I'd share these pictures of my gingerbread snowflakes wrapped and ready to grace the front of our cookie boxes. Making them was a lot of work so it feels great to see them completed.

I used food safe and self-sealing cellophane bags to wrap them. Look for the bags at craft stores like Michael's or online. I buy mine online from Paper Mart.

Gingerbread Snowflakes Underway

A cookie project like this kind of takes over the kitchen.

I just finished baking my gingerbread snowflake cookies. It's been a long morning but boy does my house smell wonderful!

I have half of the baked cookies set out and ready for the basecoat of royal icing. I hope to have them finished by this evening and will post pictures.

Here's my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe:

Gingerbread Cookie Dough
 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses

Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. With cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 10 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.