Ginger Cut-out Cookies with a Middle Eastern Twist Recipe

One of the things I like most about Christmas is ginger cookies!!! I enjoy their spicy flavor and chewy texture. So I was very happy when I received requests to post the recipe for these amazing ginger cookies. 

Ginger cookies prepared in this part of the world (Middle East) are quite different than the ones prepared in the U.S. and Europe. The texture and taste is different and I am sure you will love them! 

The main difference is the type of molasses used. In the West sugarcane molasses is used for preparing Ginger cookies, while here in the East we use pomegranate molasses. This may seem as a small difference but in fact this one ingredient has a major affect on the taste of these cookies as well as on their texture.

Pomegranate molasses has this tangy, soury taste that is very different than the taste of sugarcane molasses. I discovered this the hard way!! In my country when we call for molasses in recipes, it is usually assumed that it is pomegranate molasses. Many years ago I tried for the first time to bake Ginger Bread, and, needless to say, I used pomegranate molasses. the result you ask??? DISASTROUS!!!  The cake was a piece of solid rock, and when I did manage to break a small piece of it, it was sooooo sour that probably eating a lemon was easier!!  It took me some time to figure out what went wrong!!! 

These Ginger Cookies prepared the Middle Eastern way are delicious... I would even dare say much more than the ones prepared with sugarcane molasses. Pomegranate molasses pairs beautifully with the spices called for in the Ginger Cookies recipe. Also, the texture of the final Ginger Cookies is more textured while they still remain chewy.    

If you want to prepare these cookies with sugar cane molasses, you will need to adjust the four (increase it).

Sweet Baked Chicken Wings Recipe

I hate frying food! Just hate it! 

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate eating fried food, for there are a few fried dishes that I just love (although they are pretty bad for my health), but I hate frying food in my kitchen!

One of my favorite fried dishes is buffalo wings, but whenever I crave it, I immediately start picturing the mess in my kitchen all the cleaning-up needed when I am done. So I end up either giving up having it, or if my craving is way too strong most often we end up going out and having it at a restaurant.

But I love preparing my own dishes, especially the ones I LOVE!!! So years ago, I started experimenting trying to come up with baked alternatives for my favorite fried dishes including the much savored buffalo wings. These experiments gave birth to these sweet baked chicken wings.

These Sweet Baked Chicken Wings are quite different from the crispy buffalo wings as that crispness you can only get with frying, but they are very delicious. These Sweet Baked Chicken Wings are soft, juicy and sweet with a hint of tanginess. They are a great party pleaser and a supper addition to your finger food menu.

And the best thing about these Sweet Baked Chicken Wings is how simple and easy they are to prepare and the minimum mess they leave in the kitchen... For there is no oily, greasy surfaces and pans to clean eeeeewwwweee!!!

If you are serving this dish to kids, keep the ingredients as is, but if it is an adult only occasion you can spice them up by additions additional hot sauce or some cayenne pepper.
Also, this is a large portion as I usually make these when I have gusts over, but you can easily half it for a smaller crowd.

Gum Paste Recipe

As I wrote in my previous post, there are two different dough’s used for decorating cakes: Fondant and Gum Paste. Though they look similar, they are distinctively different in their uses. Hope you get a chance to read my post Fondant vs Gum Paste before preparing the Gum Paste recipe.

You may wonder why I am dwelling on this issue so much, for this is the third post?!? It is because most people in this region don’t know the difference, in English they have specifically different names, but in Arabic - so far – I have come upon one name only that is used for both.

Just like Fondant, Gum Paste is a pliable dough, that easily shaped and tastes sugary sweet. The main difference between Fondant and gum Paste is that gum-paste includes gum taganath (I use Gum-tex from Wilton) which helps the dough harden when it dries. Gum paste hardens to the point that it resembles hard candy which makes it perfect for 3-dimensional figures and shapes, as well as for preparing thin leaves and delicate flowers.

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

As I wrote in my previous post, there are two different and distinct cake decoration dough or paste: Fondant and Gum Paste. Although they look the same, each has a distinct characteristic and is used for a specific purpose… I do recommend that you read my post before preparing the Marshmallow Fondant recipe.

Rolled fondant is used to cover cakes and cupcakes as it forms a beautiful, seamless finish. Rolled fondant can be colored, patterned, stamped and shaped. It has a sugary sweet taste, and is delicious when prepared with marshmallows as in today’s recipe. There are different ways and recipes to prepare rolled fondant but I find this one the easiest and quickest.

When preparing fondant remember that the amount of sugar you use heavily depends on the air temperature and humidity. This varies from place to place and from season to the other. Amount of sugar needed in the summer is different than the one needed in winter! When the weather is hot and humid you will need to add more sugar to your fondant, than when it is dry and cold. Add the sugar gradually as you need to be careful not to add more than needed.

Tip: Fondant vs Gum-paste

I have never had formal cake decoration training!!! I learnt what I know from a few cake decoration books I have plus a lot of trial and error. Last year I started watching some videos on cake decoration on Youtube…. Oh my God the good stuff you can find and learn in this cyber world!!

Many have sent me messages requesting the recipe for the fondant! But before I post the recipes I  use for that, I want to share with you some of the information I learned over there years on fondant that I wished I had known years ago… before the many mishaps in the kitchen, LOL. 

There are two different and distinct cake decoration dough (let us call it dough for now) that is made from sugar. The first is rolled fondant and the second one is gum paste!  I didn’t know that until a two years ago!! Maybe it is because in Arabic both are called the same: sugar dough.  

If I had known this difference I would probably have averted many decoration disasters!

So what is the difference you ask? and why is it important?