Oh, Olympia! Thank you for supporting our neighbors who need food by coming to our bake sale on Friday. I am so grateful that you showed up, sampled and shared your enthusiasm by buying baked goods and raffle tickets and for those of you who let us keep the change.

So, we’re not Seattle (as I mentioned in this blog post last week). But we were able to gather together eight food bloggers and one cooking instructor who filled our table with a grand assortment of baked goods. If you couldn’t be there, here’s what you missed:

Sunflower Blossoms from Real Food NW

Chocolate chip cookies
Seven-layer cookies
Vegan brownies
Peanut butter chocolate pillows from Pure Hunger

Chewy chocolate cherry cookies from Fresh Scratch

Poppyseed bread
All-local granola bars from Mocavore

Pizzelle from Cucina Ciancetta

Lavender shortbread
Meringues
Macaroons from OlyEats

We brought Nibbles of Sun, a no-bake compilation of dried pineapple, sunflower seeds and other delectables rolled in coconut (Chie created this one) and chocolate ginger cookies topped with the candied rhubarb I showed you last week.

The supreme efforts of everyone involved and open-hearted donations (our costs were zero) allowed us to raise $500 for the Thurston County Food Bank. And this despite the rain. I couldn’t be more thrilled. Thank you!

Next week, we’ll pick up again with local produce. Until then, enjoy the cookies!

Chocolate Ginger Cookies

A friend shared this recipe with me several years ago and I requested
it from her a few weeks before the sale since my copy had been the victim
of a spilled glass of water. The addition of candied rhubarb was my own
twist, a nod to the local produce we so love on this site.

1½ c plus 1 T flour (I used a combination of whole wheat flours)
1¼  tsp ground giner
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 T cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ c butter
1 T freshly grated ginger
½ c brown sugar (packed)
¼ c molasses
¼ c granulated sugar, for rolling
7 oz semi-sweet chocolate

In a medium bowl, mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking
soda and cocoa.

Beat softened butter and ginger until whitened. Add brown sugar and molasses
and beat until well combined.

Mix dry and wet ingredients together. Add in chocolate, if desired (I melted in
a double boiler and spread in a circle on top of each cooled cookie).

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into one-inch balls (I used 1.5 oz of
dough per cookie) and press into granulated sugar. Place on parchment paper
on baking tray and bake for about 13-15 minutes, until they crack slightly.