The Learning Center

wow them: cardamom sugar cookies three ways including Stacked-Cookie Tree Centerpieces

11/30/2020

photo: leite's culinaria

Baking cookies for the Holidays is a family tradition I remember fondly from my own childhood that I have carried forward to continue with my own children. Here I am sharing our family recipe for Cardamom Sugar Cookies & three ways to make them. It is simple, DELICIOUS, & easy to make. They can be as simple or ornate as you wish & will be tasty either way. These can be baked as simple drop cookies or rolled out & used with the cutters. If you have a set of different sized matching cutters, you might want to take advantage & make Stacked Snowflake Cookie Trees with them too!

Stacked Cookie Trees make wonderful gifts or centerpieces for your table.
Short stacks or tall, they always get the “Ooohh!” reaction! I have made stacked cookie trees in the past with my star-shaped cutters, but I think the trees will be even more beautiful made with snowflake shaped cookies!

Couple tips before we start:
If you are planning to roll out & cut shaped cookies, I highly suggest rolling your dough out BEFORE chilling it. This prevents cookie ‘spread’ when baking & will result in cleaner edges on your finished cookies. Use whichever icing recipes for decoration you wish. If you plan to create stacked trees with the cookies, you will need a Royal Icing to hold them. I am sharing a link to a GENIUS recipe [with video!] for making Royal Icing with meringue powder -- which will hold them AND is actually edible as well [without cracking a tooth LOL] Check out this Sally’s Baking Addiction post all about it!

I use our Buttercup and Cardamom baking extracts in my version.

small-batch baking extracts

Trees can be any size from short to towering, but I find they hold best & are less likely to lean drunkenly at about 11 cookies tall with a tiny cookie ‘topper.’ They make gorgeous, edible decorations for the table.
Finally, if you do not have the baking extracts I use, you can always use what you do have on hand. I like to use our cardamom extract so my cookies remain a pale canvas; adding ground cardamom [or nutmeg or cinnamon] will add tiny dark specks to the finished cookies. Tweak your flavors to fit your tastes & family-- This should be fun, so have fun with it!
Okay, Let’s do it:

Cardamom Sugar Cookies

2 ¼ cups all purpose baking flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
½ tablespoon Buttercup baking extract [or vanilla]
½ teaspoon cardamom extract [or 1 tsp ground cardamom]

Using our extract of cardamom gives us the flavor without tiny dark specks in the dough.

single note cardamom baking extract

buttercup baking extract

Preheat oven to 350. Sift the flour, baking powder, & salt together. Mix the sugar & oil together. Add your eggs & baking extracts/spices to the sugar mixture, combining well. Slowly add in your flour mixture until completely incorporated & the dough comes together.

The bottom of these old glasses make beautiful cookies, no muss, no fuss!

For Drop Cookies: Shape dough into balls, rolling each in a mixture of 2 TBS sugar + 1 tsp cardamom & place balls on lined cookie sheets, spacing 2” on all sides. Softly flatten each ball. I like to flatten ours with the bottom of drinking glasses I inherited from my mother; they have a pretty star shape that is just perfect for cookies. Some people use cookie presses, others simply flatten with the heel of their hands. Bake until just done 8-10 minutes.

Roll & Cut Cookies:
Cut your dough into 2 batches. Roll your dough out on baking liners or parchment to about ¼ ” thick. Chill rolled dough for one hour. Work with one batch at a time, keeping the other half of dough in the fridge until you're ready to cut it. Cut dough with cutters as desired, placing shapes onto baking trays with 1” between them. Dough scraps can be gathered, re-rolled & cut. Bake until just done 8-10 minutes.
Allow to cool completely on racks before decorating as desired.

Stacked Cookie Trees:
Once your cookies are cool, make up your Royal Icing [again I recommend this recipe.] Begin building your tree by stacking cookies, slightly offsetting each, beginning with the largest & working up to smallest. Place a teaspoon or so of Royal Icing in the centers between them, twisting each cookie slightly as you work your way up. Save one of your smallest cookies to ‘stand’ on top as the tree topper. Allow your tree to harden.
Once it has set, you can continue decorating your tree however you desire with candies, non-pareils & icing or even just give it a dusting of confectioner's sugar ‘snow’

There you have it! I would love to see your pictures -- please share!
Wishing you a wonderful, SAFE Holiday season filled with joy & love.
STAY SAFE!

1 Comment

Herbal Spotlight: Tulsi, one of our most important herbal allies

11/16/2020

0 Comments

All hail the queen of Herbs!
Current scientific studies have proven what herbalists have known for centuries-- Tulsi is one of our most important herbal allies. Join me as we discuss just what it can do for you & how--

ABOUT: Tulsi [Ocimum tenuiflorum] is an aromatic member of the Lamiaceae or mint plant family, easily recognizable by its square ‘hairy’ stems & distinctive fragrance. Also known as Holy Basil & the Queen Of Herbs, tulsi is cultivated around the world for religious & medicinal purposes. It has been used for centuries in Chinese & Ayurvedic healing, as well as in religious ceremonies.

A bundle of tulsi dried for making tea

It grows easily & readily, & is an herb I feel everyone should give serious thought to adding to their gardens. I believe you will be thrilled with it-- & I know your local bees will be! Locally, both Goranson Farm & Morning Dew Farm sell seedlings in the Spring. Tulsi works as a powerful adaptogen. Adaptogens are substances that are considered to help the body resist stressors of all kinds, whether physical, chemical or biological, & to exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes. Tulsi excels in this area --

Indeed, recent medical studies have shown Tulsi to actually lower cortisol levels [“The beneficial metabolic effects of tulsi are multiple and include lowering cortisol levels” Gholap S, Kar A.Pharmazie. 2004;59:876–8] in the body, so it is not just promoting feelings of wellbeing, but actually increasing our resilience to stress & our ability to handle it. [hence my vote for the official herb of the pandemic]

In addition to its adaptogenic properties, tulsi has also been found to have a modulating effect on the immune system, making it helpful in reducing symptoms of seasonal allergies & strengthening a healthy immune response, to improve memory, to focus attention, & to relieve depression & anxiety. Holy basil has even been shown to counter metabolic stress through normalization of blood glucose, blood pressure & lipid levels. The US National Institutes of Health has published an extensive report detailing many uses & studies.

Read That study here: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4296439/

My Tulsi Rose Lemonade is a favorite in our house

USAGE: There are many ways to effectively use tulsi in order to reap its benefits. One of the most popular ways to to use it in teas & tisanes; this can be done with fresh or dried leaves & flowers.I personally dry large amounts for this usage; it is a favorite with every member of my family. We've found a cup of tulsi tea with lemon balm before bed to be just the thing for a good night’s sleep.
I also like to make syrups for drinks with tulsi -- Give it a try in your lemonade for a refreshing & uplifting treat!

You can easily harvest & dry tulsi to make your own teas. Our plants were particularly prolific this year & I was able to bring in 4 huge harvests! I also dug up 3 plants after cutting them back & repotted them in containers indoors to prolong my access to fresh tulsi into the Winter. After harvesting, I sometimes garble it immediately & lay it to dry on drying-screens, but often I will simply hang bundles of long, cut stems to dry, then garble it into jars once it has completely dried.

Garbling fresh tulsi

A lovely cup of tulsi & rose tea

If you do not grow it yourself, you can find dried tulsi at most herb houses, like Mountain Rose Herbs. I love to mix up my own blends, depending on my specific needs & feelings each day. If you are looking for a little inspiration, I personally find tulsi works especially well with chamomile, rose, jasmine, rosehips, & lemon balm, as well as with green tea if you are looking for some caffeine too. If you prefer to buy it premixed or bagged, you will find numerous tulsi teas on the market, including our Botanical Bliss Tea & an amazing Tulsi + Rose one from Herbal Revolution.

SHOP THESE FABULOUS TULSI-CONTAINING PRODUCTS

Botanical Bliss Adaptogenic Herbal Tea With Tulsi & Butterfly Pea Flower

Shop

TULSI Tincture, Gluten-Free

Shop

Briar To Bar Briar Rose Wildflower Cocktail Bitters

Shop

Restore + Relax Herbal Tea from Herbal Revolution

Shop

In addition to being used as tea, tulsi is also steam-distilled to create essential oil & hydrosols. These can be applied to the skin or diffused in the home to help promote harmony. I enjoy bringing large ‘bouquets’ of cut stems & flowers inside to help fragrance our home too. This has the added benefit of ensuring I easily have fresh leaves at hand to muddle into drinks too.

The most powerful means of using tulsi is by concentrating its constituents through tincturing. In pharmacology, a tincture is a type of medicine extracted from a plant in an alcohol solution. In order to achieve many of tulsi’s medical effects, one must sustain a constant level in the body; daily doses of tincture are an easy, effective method for achieving this. When choosing a tincture, look for how & where they are crafted; choosing

learn more about our Small-batch tulsi tincture here

Our small-batch crafted Tulsi Tincture is gluten-free. Available in 1 oz and 2 oz bottles.

organic & unadulterated options from trusted sources is a good rule of thumb. Most will give guidelines for amount to take, with children’s dosing generally being half that of adults, but it is important to remember that every person is unique & will therefore interact with plant medicine in a unique way. You may experience a desired effect at a lower dosage or you may need a bit more than suggested. Therefore, it is best to discuss dosing with an Herbalist or your personal physician for best results. As always, if you are pregnant or nursing it is even more important to discuss usage with your doctor.

Well, that is about it for this week! I think you can see why I believe Tulsi to be such an important herb, & one that everyone should consider including in their lives!
Hopefully, I have piqued your curiosity about this amazing herb. As you sit down this Winter to plan your garden beds for next spring, give some though to adding her to your mix! I believe you will really enjoy it & all its benefits! Take care & STAY SAFE! #StopAndEat TheFlowers