Recently, I got a review sample of King Arthur Flour's Traditional Gingerbread mix.
The interesting thing about this mix is that it has instructions for making either cookies or cake. I flipped a coin. Cookies won. Cookies always win, it seems. Probably because cake is soft and fragile. It's no match for crunchy cookies.
The ingredient list in this mix is reasonable. Nothing scary. King Arthur flour, sugar, molasses, spices, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, natural flavor, baking soda, and caramel color. The spices and flavors weren't listed, but when I opened the bag, the ginger smell was obvious.
The required ingredients for cookies were butter, egg, and water. That's easy enough.
Equipment needed is minimal, too. Just a bowl and a spoon to assemble the dough. The soft butter is mixed into the dough until it's all crumbs, then the egg and water go in. Mix, knead, then chill it in the fridge for a while before the roll-cut-bake.Simple, really.
The result? Pretty good cookies, actually. Here's the thing. I've been baking so many cookies lately that I don't want to even taste them. But I just ate two of these, because they're spicy. Yes, they're a little sweet, but they've got a savory punch to them.
I'm probably not the prime candidate for buying boxed mixes because I don't mind the measuring and mixing, and I have all of the ingredients on hand so I don't have to go shopping before I bake. On the other hand, I'd have no problem using this mix if I needed to shave a little time from my schedule.
I'd sure as heck use this mix before I'd buy pre-made cookies, that's for sure.
Oh, and if you like the little stars, those are edible glitter, also from King Arthur Flour. I've been sprinkling them everywhere.
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Nicole · 702 weeks ago
I think the problem with box mixes is not so much that they taste bad, but if you bake a lot it would get really expensive, not to mention excess packaging. I would think if you are the kind of person who only bakes once a year, doesn't enjoy doing it, and don't want to buy an excess amount of ingredients, then why not use the box? It sounds like you and I do not fall into that category. I have been asked by co-workers if the King Arthur mixes are good because people know I order from them a lot, so now I can offer some advice!
Oh and I too love their edible glitter and the coarse sparkling sugar this time of year. I wish they sold the edible glitter in larger quantities, I would put it on everything!!
My recent post Sparkling Cranberry Cookies
dbcurrie 76p · 702 weeks ago
These would also be great for emergency cookies, when you want to whip up a batch of cookies and don't want to be pulling ingredients out of every cabinet while your friend is sipping tea. Also great for letting your kids do all the work, since it's all done by hand. Then mom can put them into the oven and take them out.
Kim · 702 weeks ago
My recent post Passing on a little Christmas cheer....