Chocolate Peppermint Twist Cookies (honey-sweetened & naturally colored)

Christmas is almost upon us! Wow, time just flies. It has been so fun doing the Truth in the Tinsel advent ebook this year. My girls are really enjoying the crafts and doing a great job of summarizing the story leading to Jesus' birth. I'm already looking forward to next year's advent... I'm thinking of finding something new to change it up.

This past week I attended a cookie exchange party hosted by some missionary friends in the city. It was nice to enjoy some much-needed fellowship, catch up with friends and make some new friends.

It took me a while to decide what cookies to make and it had to be simple, easy to travel 

& healthy.

I googled around and decided to make candy cane shaped cookies using chocolate peppermint cookie dough and plain cookie dough colored with... beet powder.

Yep, you read that right... beet powder.

Now, don't make the yucky face... I know what you are thinking. They did not taste at all like beet!

I was VERY surprise. I was expecting at least some beet flavor, but... nada!

The beet powder did a good job of giving the plain cookie dough a light pinkish color. Even my girls were thrilled to have some "colored" cookies!

If my girls liked them... I'm sure you will too!

These cookies were lightly sweet, buttery and chewy. I'm sure some frosting on top would be delightful. Also, If you don't have any beet powder... skip it and enjoy white dough!

My family and I wish you all a very beautiful Christmas and a wonderful New Year to come!

Chocolate Peppermint Twist Cookies

(honey-sweetened & naturally colored)

makes 80-90 small cookies

Red Dough

3 3/4 cups whole white wheat flour or all-purpose flour

4 Tbsp beet powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup honey

2 sticks cold butter, cut into chunks

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Dough

3 1/2 cups whole white wheat flour or all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup honey

2 sticks cold butter, cut into chunks

2 eggs

1-2  tsp peppermint extract

1. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
2. In a mixer, cream the butter and honey. When creamy, add the eggs and extract. Once combined, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Scrape the bowl and don’t overmix.
3. Pull together the dough and scoop it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough together into a log shape and wrap it up in plastic wrap. Let it chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
4. Repeat with chocolate dough.
5. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly greased cookie sheets.
6. When chilled, pull both doughs out and cut slices. Roll out each slice into long ropes. Do the dough in batches and keep the extras in the fridge to prevent the dough from getting gooey.
7. Put together the ropes of red dough and chocolate dough. Cut the ropes about 4-5 inches long. Twist and press together gently to prevent the dough from tearing.
8. Shape dough into candy canes or any shape you want.
9. Place on greased cookies sheets and bake for 10-15 mintues.
10. When done, let the cookies rest on the sheets for a few minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Now I am curious to know what other foods I can use to naturally color my baked goods! Any suggestions and ideas?

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Honey Sweetened, Almond Orange Shortbread Cookies

I am over at A Little Bit of Spain today with an easy & delicious recipe for buttery shortbread cookies. 

These amazing cookies are sweetened with honey, flavored with orange extract & zest and jazzed up with chocolate topped with more orange zest!

Head on over and get the recipe. Your family will love them and you will want to make several batches of these yummy cookies to give away as gifts!

Have a great Christmas!

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Make it Yourself: Homemade Orange Extract

It is now orange season around here and my trees are simply overflowing with delicious balls of sunshine!

Last season I dehydrated orange slices and made some orange powder, both are fantastic for baking and flavoring your tea! I also made some orange extract, which I just opened and strained a few days ago.

After I got over the "hurdle" of making my own Homemade Perpetual Vanilla Extract last year... I became obsessed with making my own extracts.

I did some research and decided to try making extracts from orange, lemon, cacao and almonds.

All you need is vodka and a jar. So easy!

I planned to leave them for only 3 months, but then decided to leave it for another 3 months. Then basically forgot about them. I don't recommend doing that.

Now it has been almost a year (the date on the jar is Jan. 25th, 2012!) and thankfully extracts are pretty forgivable. I spied them after coming home from our USA furlough & decided to open up the orange extract to see if I can use it. I had the vision of using it in my shortbread cookies.

When I first opened the jar... a warm, sharp smell of orange tingled my nose. I had a little taste and the flavor was nice & smooth with a hint of bitterness.

Success!

I made some delicious almond orange shortbread cookies (recipe coming!) using the orange extract and it was simply delicious! The orange flavor stood out nicely without it being overpowering... just the way I like it.

Homemade Orange Extract

• 2 large oranges (preferably organic)
• Vodka (higher proof is better)
• 1/4 cup filtered water (will extract more flavor)
• Pint-size glass jar

You can do it one of the two ways with the oranges... Peel them or zest them. I peeled them because it was easier, but some like to zest the oranges to avoid the white part because of its bitterness. Either way, you will get a wonderful orange flavor.

Put the orange peels or zest in a clean jar, add water, cover with vodka and seal it tight. Store in a dark, cool place and shake it whenever you think of it.

The extract will be ready in about 6 weeks. You can leave it longer for a slightly stronger flavor, but no longer than a year!  ;o)

I am going to open up my other extracts and see how they turned out. Hopefully I will be sharing recipes with you in the near future!

Have you made your own extracts yet? What flavors have you made? If you haven't, try making vanilla extract or orange extract and experience how easy it is! 

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A Simple Christmas Advent Experience

With Christmas time upon us, I wanted to share with you a wonderful, yet simple, Christmas Advent ebook that we are going through as a family and also with the kids at Rancho Oasis for Youth.

The Meaning of Advent

Before I share more about "Truth in the Tinsel" and our advent experience... let me tell you what the word "advent" means. 

It means "coming"... which came from the Latin word adventus. 

During the four weeks before Christmas, we are remembering the beautiful history of God's people yearning for thousands of years for the Son of God to come. 

Through this time we are reading scriptures, making crafts and acting out the stories to honor the first advent of Christ. It is also a time to remember, as followers of Jesus, to be looking for His second advent.

Our hope in His return. 

About Truth in the Tinsel
If you are thinking its too late to start the advent... you are in for a sweet surprise! Included in the ebook are different schedules you can follow and you can start anytime. 

Truth in the Tinsel will help you and your family to slow down and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. In it you will find daily scripture reading and simple directions for making ornaments with the kids. 

As each day comes and goes, the kids will learn to truly understand what the celebration is all about (the birth of Jesus) and get excited about the real meaning of Christmas. 

Please take a few minutes to watch this video the author put together to explain how to use the ebook. 


I love how this spunky gal made this advent ebook so simple and fun!

Our Experience So Far

Honestly... we are LOVING it! My girls are eating it up and having so much fun doing the crafts. They also love to act out the scriptures while my hubby is reading them out loud. 

I am enjoying it because it is all ready and done for us... we just need to make sure we have the supplies needed for the crafts and that's about it!

I also like the flexibility I have to make some modifications or changes on the crafts. I just use what I have and make it work! 

As I mentioned earlier, we are also using Truth in the Tinsel with the kids we minister to at Rancho Oasis. The author put together a Spanish version of the advent ebook and it has been a great resource for us!

Truth in the Tinsel on Facebook & More
If you decide to buy this advent ebook... you can also join the Facebook group and share pictures, ideas and encouragement with other families who are doing the advent.

If you have any questions or want more information... go to this post: Top Ten Questions, Tip & How-To's for Your Truth in the Tinsel Experience.

Have a beautiful and simple Merry Christmas!

This post contains affiliate links and I will make a small commission from each purchase... no charge to you! Thank you for supporting me and my family through your purchases on my blog.

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Meet Our Baby Cuatro: Poema Alizay

Picture taken at 2 weeks old

Poema Alizay Beard

Born October 21st, 2012

3:05 AM

8 lbs 3 oz  •  18 inches

Family-assisted home-birth & full water birth (It only took four tries to see it happen... PTL!)

Britt, Iowa in the home of my parents, Wayne & Brooke Goranson.

Why Such A Funky Name?

While in Britt, I was attending a women's Bible study, lead by my mother, through the book of Ephesians. Each week we went through a chapter and the week we read through Ephesians 2... verse 10 really stuck out to me:

"For we are His workmanship, 

created in Christ Jesus for good works, 

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (NKJV)

The Greek word for workmanship is poiema, where we English speakers derive the word "poem". We took the Spanish twist on the word and have named our daughter "Poema" (po-ay-mah)

We didn't decide on the middle name until day of the birth! We were really struggling for inspiration, so my dad sent us a long list of cool Biblical names with meaning.

No, Alizay isn't found in the Bible, so it wasn't on the list, but it prompted some research to find a name with the following significance. Alizay (ah - lee - zay) is a female name with Hebrew origin that means "full of joy."

So, with the secret parent decoder, Poema Alizay means:

God's workmanship/poem is full of joy. 

This idea really became concrete as Jon, my husband, was doing our daily family Bible devotionals the morning before Poema was born and the verses just "happened" to land in Psalm 139:13-16

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

 

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

 

You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed." (NLT)

Jesus, we thank you for another wonderful birth experience and our new baby girl. Thank you for all of our friends, family and supporters who can share in this joyous occasion. Help us to walk in obedience and accomplish the good works that you have prepared for us, including raising our kids to know and marvel in your presence. Bring unity in our family and rest to our bodies. Amen!

Bendiciones todos!

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A Thanksgiving Breakfast: Spiced Cranberry Apple Baked Oatmeal

What could be better on Thanksgiving morning than your standard pancake or waffle breakfast?

A nourishing baked oatmeal with fall spices, tangy cranberries, sweet apples and crunchy walnuts… oh yum!

To make it truly nourishing… I soak the rolled oats for about 24 hours and use nuts that have been soaked & dehydrated. When everything is properly prepared, not only does it taste delicious, but my tummy won’t feel like a brick is sitting there after eating my share.

We love the beautiful fall flavors in this oatmeal bake and I have to say this is our favorite “stateside” baked oatmeal… while the Strawberry Pineapple is our favorite Honduran baked oatmeal.  :o)

Enjoy it topped with lots of butter & pure maple syrup or raw honey! I also think some breakfast sausage & cheesy scrambled eggs will make a delicious brunch if you decide to have a late breakfast.

Spiced Cranberry Apple Baked Oatmeal

• 4 cups regular rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whey, raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or sourdough starter
• 6 cups water

Combine oats, choice of acid and water in a big bowl. Cover and let it soak overnight (if using sourdough) or up to 24 hours (using whey, vinegar or lemon juice).

NOTE: I usually use sourdough starter to soak my oatmeal overnight. I learned from my friend, Wardeh, at GNOWGFLINS that sourdough starter improves the effectiveness of soaking by adding phytase to reduce phytic acid and organisms to accomplish an overnight soaking effectively. Don't worry, it won't be sour as long as you drain and lightly rinse the oats in the morning!

• 1/3 cup lightly melted butter, coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk or whole milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup rapadura or palm sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups chopped cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 apple, diced
• 1 cup walnuts (optional)

Morning arrives: preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Drain the oats through a fine sieve. Gently rinse and allow to drain while mixing together other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter, milk, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, spices and sea salt. Add in cranberries, apple, walnuts and oats. Mix it all together gently, yet well.

Pour oatmeal mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Smooth out the top. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. It should be golden brown when done. Insert a knife or toothpick, it should come out clean when the baked oatmeal is done.

Take baked oatmeal out of the oven and set it on a cooking rack. Let it cool for about 10-15 minutes to set before cutting into bars.

Store leftovers in the fridge, but you can leave it out for a day.

Oatmeal bake makes a weekly appearance at our house… usually every Monday morning because it makes great leftovers throughout the week for snacks or a quick breakfast on the go.

I typically use whatever we have on hand (spices, fruits & nuts)… what are your favorite combinations? Please share below!

Shared at Simple Lives Thursday, Real Food Wednesday, Monday Mania, Fight Back Friday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Frugal Days, Whole Food Wednesday, Not Just A Housewife, Chef In Training

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Naturally Sweetened Cranberry-Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Wow, time is flying by and it is almost time for my family to go back to Honduras. We've been so blessed during our time here, but we are ready to be back in our home & routine  :o)

There are many things l enjoy while being in the states during the late summer and early fall... catching up with family & friends, eating ripe tomatoes picked fresh out of the garden, apples coming into season, nice long conversations with my hubby while on the road, exploring new things with my kids, enjoying the amazing variety of pumpkin & squash, watching the leaves change colors and baking yummy desserts with cranberries, apples & pumpkin.

Which brings me to my Cranberry-Oatmeal Crumble Bars...

While we were on the road back in September I saw that my friend, Diana from Spain in Iowa, posted some yummy looking Oatmeal Jam Bars that are much like my crumble bars. 

Inspired by her recipe, I changed the sweetener in my crumble bars from raw sugar (rapadura/sucanat) to honey and pure maple syrup. I must say I will never use raw sugar again! I just love how the raw honey & maple syrup blended nicely with the oats, flour & fruit... bringing out the natural sweetness of the oats and complimenting the flavor of the fruit.

These crumble bars are simple & quick to make... which makes them a fantastic "last-minute" dessert for any occasion! Over the years I've made them with blueberries, rhubarb (which is actually a veggie), cherries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, apples, mangoes... here I am using cranberries for the first time and love it!

The vibrate red color and wonderful tangy flavors will sure be a hit at any potluck or Thanksgiving meal!

 Naturally Sweetened Cranberry-Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Crust & Crumble:

2 cups whole white wheat flour

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup butter and/or coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup raw honey

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 9x13 baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add in the butter and/or coconut oil, honey, maple syrup & vanilla. mix together until well combined. Scoop about half or more into the prepared baking pan and press the mixture down firmly. Set aside the rest for the crumble topping.

Cranberry Filling:

4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

1/3 - 1/2 cup raw honey (can add more if you want it sweeter)

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or non-gmo cornstarch

heavy pinch of sea salt

In a medium pot, pour in honey, arrowroot powder and salt. Stir until combined. Add in cranberries and turn heat on medium low. Mix together the honey and cranberries until well coated. Cook for 2-3 minutes and turn off heat. Spread cranberries over the crust and sprinkle evenly the remaining mixture over the cranberries.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. The top should be golden brown when done. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes (if you can wait that long!) and enjoy with some fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

These bars can be kept at room-temp in a sealed container for up to a week... not that they will last that long anyway! Enjoy  :o)

I would love to find a way to properly prepare the grains by soaking or using sourdough somehow. I bet using sprouted flour would work great!

Any thoughts on how to make these beautiful bars even more nutritious? What fruits would you use to make these crumble bars?

Shared at Simple Lives Thursday & Real Food Wednesday

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