Oatmeal Raisin cookies with spices

This summer me and my kids have decided to do lot of baking. Its been just 2 weeks since my kids summer vacation started and we already made Banana bread a couple of times, made cupcakes and 2-3 kinds of cookies :)

Baking with kids is the most enjoyable way to spend summer afternoons.

We recently tried Beth's Oatmeal Raisin cookies recipe. These cookies came out wonderful and my kids loved them.

In my previous post, I mentioned the importance of cloves. This Oatmeal cookie recipe calls for 2 spices (clove & cinnamon) and is an excellent way to introduce kids to spices.

Here is the recipe with my slight variations.

• 1 cup butter, softened ( I know, its lot of butter. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening. )
  
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3-4 drops of cinnamon extract
  
• 3-4 drops clove extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon extract, clove extract, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
2. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden. Do not over bake. Let them cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely. Store in airtight container.
   

This is a good change from the Chocolate chip cookies. These cookies came out chewy and were ready to eat in less that an hour.

Cloves

Did you know that Cloves help boost digestive functioning and contain antioxidants ?
Can you think of a simple and yummy way to get cloves into your kids tummy?

Coffee Ceremony of Ethiopia

Ethiopia, which is considered the birthplace of Coffee, celebrates and enjoys this beverage with a "Coffee Ceremony".
Its a very elaborate ceremony which begins with roasting of coffee beans with cardamom and cloves ( sometimes with cinnamon too). The room fills with the aroma of freshly roasted coffee and spices. Once roasted to perfection, the beans are then boiled in water, strained and served with little sugar.

Till now I have never been to any Ethiopian restaurant but I might try one soon just to experience this Ethiopian coffee.

A combination of coffee and aromatic spices definitely is something to celebrate.

Fruits and Spices

Can you guess what heavenly treat could be prepared with some Pears, 3 aromatic spices, 1 Lemon and some sugar?

Difference between Spices and Herbs

A simple answer to this question would be that the leaf of a plant which is used in cooking is referred to as a Herb and any other part of the plant that is used to flavor food is termed as a Spice.
For example - Cloves (bud), ginger & turmeric (roots), fennel, cumin, coriander (seeds), cinnamon (bark), peppercorns (berries).

Herbs are used fresh and spices are generally in dried form.

Orange Clove Pomanders

What a wonderful use of cloves.

To make a basic Orange-Clove Pomander, just stud a orange with some cloves and that's it.
Some even roll these pomanders in a mixture of Orris root powder and cinnamon.

Spices are not just for cooking but they are also used in Aromatherapy.
Cloves are considered to be very stimulating and are used in Aromatherapy for its powerful fragrance. Cloves are great stress relievers.