Grey Ghost Bakery is committed to providing the highest-quality ingredients available. From whole eggs to pure vanilla, no detail is spared to cook up the freshest cookies possible. All of their cakes, cookies, and pies are made from scratch with real ingredients and crafted from secret family recipes that span generations. Founder Katherine Frankstone grew up cooking with her father, who taught her the valuable lesson of cooking with your heart and never skimping by using artificial flavors or preservatives.
Grey Ghost Bakery has a long list of accolades and recognitions. Their Molasses Spice cookie was an award winner in 2018’s Silver Sofi Award, which is like the Oscars of the baking world. Grey Ghost also won the 2014 Sofi Award for their Lemon Sugar cookie. And Martha Stewart has promoted Grey Ghost in her “Made in America” spotlight, thanks to Katherine’s perseverance to be West Ashley’s number-one bakery year after year.
Katherine is honored by all the prestigious awards and recognitions from the baking world, but what she really cherishes are the smiles and happy faces from customers who can’t get enough of her baked-in goodness. Whether it is cookies, pies, or cakes, the freshness and premium taste is as rich as the historic city of Charleston. Grey Ghost will continue to be a staple for generations to come.
At Grey Ghost, we aren’t just about the best cookies in Charleston, SC - we also offer cakes and pies. Our five-flavor pound cake melts in your mouth, and our nutty chocolate pie is made from a secret family recipe. Cut it up to serve six to eight people. All you have to do is warm it up and enjoy it. Go ahead, tell your friends you made it - we won’t tell! It's so fresh you won’t have a hard time convincing them it came from your kitchen.
Once the party is over and it is time to greet children for some trick or treating, hand out our cookies and skip the same old candy bar options. Your house will be the favorite on the street when kids flock there for our delicious cookie snacks. Since we missed last Halloween, do something a little special and extraordinary this year! It is so refreshing to be able to rejoin life after a full season of social distancing and shutdowns. This Halloween, stop by to pick up some Grey Ghost treats to bring to your Halloween party, or pick up enough to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Your guests will thank you and your trickers will be grateful that you went above and beyond this year! Order your cookies online today.
]]>Our chocolate bourbon cookies are one of our customer favorites! They combine the richness of bourbon with a Southern twist. They are similar to our family recipe for Derby pie - another favorite - and are chock full of pecans and chocolate. All of our cookies are made from scratch, so you get the homemade taste baked right in without having to do anything but open them up and serve.
Attending an adult costume party? Bring the espresso! Our chocolate espresso cookies are loaded with decadent chocolate and a hint of espresso and make a perfect accompaniment to red wine. They are available in three sizes, freshly baked, and we can ship them right to your door in time to head out to your Halloween bash! They are definitely a crowd-pleaser!
One of the biggest dilemmas that our customers have is choosing which flavor of cookie they want to eat. Our 18 sample pack gives you three of our most popular cookies to share (or not share). It is the perfect size to bring as a hostess gift or just to say Happy Halloween!
At Grey Ghost, we aren’t just about the best cookies in Charleston, SC - we also offer cakes and pies. Our five-flavor pound cake melts in your mouth, and our nutty chocolate pie is made from a secret family recipe. Cut it up to serve six to eight people. All you have to do is warm it up and enjoy it. Go ahead, tell your friends you made it - we won’t tell! It's so fresh you won’t have a hard time convincing them it came from your kitchen.
Once the party is over and it is time to greet children for some trick or treating, hand out our cookies and skip the same old candy bar options. Your house will be the favorite on the street when kids flock there for our delicious cookie snacks. Since we missed last Halloween, do something a little special and extraordinary this year! It is so refreshing to be able to rejoin life after a full season of social distancing and shutdowns. This Halloween, stop by to pick up some Grey Ghost treats to bring to your Halloween party, or pick up enough to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Your guests will thank you and your trickers will be grateful that you went above and beyond this year! Order your cookies online today.
]]>Redfin invited the best bakers and recipe bloggers, from Miami, FL to San Diego, CA, to share our favorite ghoulish delight so you can celebrate Halloween at home with a variety of homemade goodies. Check out what we had to say!
Celebrate Halloween at Home with These Spooktacular Treats]]>Our chocolate bourbon cookies are one of our customer favorites! They combine the richness of bourbon with a Southern twist. They are similar to our family recipe for Derby pie - another favorite - and are chock full of pecans and chocolate. All of our cookies are made from scratch, so you get the homemade taste baked right in without having to do anything but open them up and serve.
Attending an adult costume party? Bring the espresso! Our chocolate espresso cookies are loaded with decadent chocolate and a hint of espresso and make a perfect accompaniment to red wine. They are available in three sizes, freshly baked, and we can ship them right to your door in time to head out to your Halloween bash! They are definitely a crowd-pleaser!
One of the biggest dilemmas that our customers have is choosing which flavor of cookie they want to eat. Our 18 sample pack gives you three of our most popular cookies to share (or not share). It is the perfect size to bring as a hostess gift or just to say Happy Halloween!
At Grey Ghost, we aren’t just about the best cookies in Charleston, SC - we also offer cakes and pies. Our five-flavor pound cake melts in your mouth, and our nutty chocolate pie is made from a secret family recipe. Cut it up to serve six to eight people. All you have to do is warm it up and enjoy it. Go ahead, tell your friends you made it - we won’t tell! It's so fresh you won’t have a hard time convincing them it came from your kitchen.
Once the party is over and it is time to greet children for some trick or treating, hand out our cookies and skip the same old candy bar options. Your house will be the favorite on the street when kids flock there for our delicious cookie snacks. Since we missed last Halloween, do something a little special and extraordinary this year!
It is so refreshing to be able to rejoin life after a full season of social distancing and shutdowns. This Halloween, stop by to pick up some Grey Ghost treats to bring to your Halloween party, or pick up enough to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Your guests will thank you and your trickers will be grateful that you went above and beyond this year! Order your cookies online today. ]]>What do you get when you combine espresso, chocolate, and tailgating? An energized pack of “yummy.” Nothing can jazz you up more than the buzz from espresso combined with the thrill of watching your favorite team take the field. Forget the plain coffee and get it in a sweeter way - we guarantee you’ll come back looking for more! One is just never enough.
For the person who can’t decide whether they want sugar cookies or lemon cookies, we solved the problem - we combined them! Our lemon sugar cookies are a customer favorite. Baked with real lemon zest goodness and then topped with the perfect amount of sugar, they are awesome for a small get-together or to top off your tailgating appetizer extravaganza!
Sometimes tailgating starts really early - too early to hit the bourbon bottle just yet. Why not jumpstart your tailgating party by starting it off right in the morning with some chocolate bourbon cookies to dip in your coffee? A hint of pecan is our secret Southern ingredient, but it is definitely second to the rich bourbon taste - all inspired by our Derby Pie recipe, which should also be a mainstay at your tailgating tasting.
The pumpkin roll is by far our most famous fall find, and it’s only available for local pickup! Love pumpkin flavor mixed with cream cheese? Then you will be an instant fan. Our roll is big enough to feed six to eight people, and it is the perfect way to welcome in the first rush of cold weather. It is also great because you can cut it up into pieces, which make great “finger food.”
There is a renewed sense of energy in the air as football weather comes in with the fall. This fall is shaping up to be a time to return to social gatherings while still maintaining safe distancing, and celebrating your favorite football team, be it college, high school, or professional. When you’re packing to hit the road, don’t forget the Grey Ghost cookies. In the South, they are a must for any great celebration! Stop in and pick up yours today.
]]>Not all children are ready to hit the classroom running from the first moment! Having cookies for them is a great stress reliever that gives them something to focus on. While they are enjoying their cookies, it becomes easier for them to socialize and share time eating with others. So it isn’t just about making them smile; a cookie will put everyone at ease and make things less tense from the start!
It is a nice feeling for a child when you already know who they are; it makes them feel more familiar with you. During back-to-school conferences, ask the parents what type of animal their child likes, what their favorite toy is, or which superhero they like. Then, welcome each child to school on the first day with a cookie that is designed especially for them. It will make them feel like you already know what makes them tick, which can build a bond.
It isn’t just children who can feel stressed and anxious about the first day of school! Invite the parents to stay when dropping off their children and have a cookie reception for everyone. Nothing will make parents happier than breaking bread - or at least cookie dough. The less concerned and worried the parents are, the more at ease their children will be.
It really does take a village when it comes to raising children. It is a great idea to make go-home kits for the first day, complete with cookies to share. Provide each child with a rundown of what you did on the first day and ask the parents to go through it with their children. While the children discuss how their first day went, they can share a sweet treat with their parents. That will give a positive association about their day - not only sharing their experiences, but also sharing a cookie after the school day.
As the summer comes to a close, some children will be ready to hit the classroom with fervor, and some others will come reluctantly. Cookies are a great way to greet, comfort, and share experiences with your students and their parents. Order your cookies to make going back to school that much more memorable today - and start a new tradition in your classroom by putting everyone at ease right away for a successful new year!
]]>Who doesn’t like sweets? The best thing about gift baskets full of baked goods is that you can choose from a variety of options to make your special someone smile. From cookies to pies to pound cakes, we have things to suit everyone’s tastes at Grey Ghost Bakery. Don’t stress over what their shoe or ring size is when the real way to their heart is through their stomach!
Regardless of the occasion, a gift basket is always an amazing option! Whatever you are celebrating, from birthdays to new babies, we can fully customize a basket that says exactly what you want to say. And we know how to bake it with love and care so that it tells the recipient “You mean so much to me!”
If you have more than one person you want to send a gift to, send a combined gift basket for all. A baked goods basket is an excellent way to make everyone happy because they can be shared around the office, with family members, or for any special occasion. That means they can be an all-encompassing way to send a message to a crowd!
What says “We appreciate your business!” more than a basket full of goodness? If you are looking for the perfect corporate gift for your clients this Christmas or any time of year, then look no further. Shareable baskets are an excellent way to say thank you to the people that keep your business afloat. In fact, you don’t really need any occasion at all to let your customers know that they are your number-one priority!
Let’s face it: we don’t all have an endless budget to work with. If you want to keep the costs down, we can work within your parameters to give the person on your list exactly what they would want at a price you can afford. We have many delicacies to choose from, and the best part is, even if you send a gift basket as a gift more than once, it is always new and yummy when you let us turn our creativity loose.
If you are looking for a perfect way to say “Thank You,” “Happy Birthday,” or “I love you,” gift baskets from Charleston, SC, are a perfect way to please everyone, even an entire group. Come into Grey Ghost Bakery today or shop online at www.greyghostbakery.com and let us design a basket that will please even the pickiest person on your gift-giving list!
]]>What could be better than a chocolate milkshake on a hot summer day? A chocolate bourbon milkshake on a hot summer day! This decadent concoction is a twist on a classic chocolate milkshake and will be the perfect cure to your sweet tooth on a hot summer day.
]]>This time of year, I often turn to my collection of old family recipes for inspiration. I like to take those traditional recipes and give them a modern twist, and that’s exactly what I did with this recipe. I took our family’s recipe for German Bundt Cake, and combined it with Rum Cake which is another of my holiday favorites.
My mother used to make this German Bundt Cake, and while Daddy baked more often than Mama, she could make a mean cake. My father's sister, whom we called Aunt Sister (yep, Southern, I know--had an Uncle Bubba on the other side of the family too!) used to send us a big fruitcake each year when I was little. I recall it being very dense, and very unpleasantly boozy to my childhood sensibilities. The fruitcake was also very heavy and dark.
So, when Mama started making the German Bundt cake recipe, it was a much more appealing version of a fruitcake. This cake also reminded me of one of my favorite cookies too--what we called Japanese Fruitcake Cookies. They were buttery, chewy nuggets with fruit and nuts, but unfortunately, I've lost that recipe. Our Cranberry Orange cookies were actually developed as I tried to recreate the Japanese Fruitcake cookies from memory. If anyone out there has that recipe, please do share it with us!
Rum cake is another holiday tradition that I love because who doesn’t like to get a boozy cake for a gift?! The typical recipe you will find for these cakes uses boxed yellow cake mix and instant pudding to make them super moist. Instead, I thought that the buttery German Bundt cake recipe would make a much better base for the sugary rum syrup that is poured all over the hot cake. As an adult I can appreciate the rum glaze much better than I could as a little thing trying to eat my aunt’s fruitcake! This recipe is for 6-cup bundt pan, which is the perfect size for gift giving at the holidays.
In the Grey Ghost Bakery, we pride ourselves on using real, premium ingredients. So, for this recipe I like to use real maraschino cherries. If you haven’t used them before, you should definitely seek them out. They are a far cry from the corn syrup and artificially colored ones that you typically find! I’m partial to the ones from our friends at Stonewall Kitchen’s Tillen Farms.
I hope you will try this recipe, and that it becomes a tradition in your family too. Happy holidays from all of us at Grey Ghost Bakery!
German Bundt Cake with Rum Glaze
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
2 pieces of pineapple, sliced
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, sliced in half
Rum glaze (below)
Rum Glaze
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark or spiced rum
Last year, I curated some of my favorite local food products into our Southern Entertaining Gift Box, which are all still on my favorites list! They include Mod Squad Martha’s Music Row Moroccan Salmon Marinade and Rub and also her Chive Jive Vinaigrette, as well as King Bean Coffee, Cheese Crisps from Callie’s Charleston Biscuits, and Geechie Boy Grits.
Another product that I love is Hudson Henry Granola. Who knows, there may even be a Grey Ghost Granola cookie one of these days! Named for the owners’ two sons, Hudson Henry is a Southern, family-run company with a huge heart. Not only do they make scrumptious granola, but they give back to the community by donating 1% of their granola revenue every month to a different charitable organization through their Small + Mighty program.
For your friend who’s trying NOT to indulge this holiday season, give the gift of Blender Bombs from Hushup + Hustle. Created by Helen Hall, these tasty little bombs have the perfect blend of protein, fiber, and healthy fat, and they can be eaten as a meal replacement on their own or blended into your favorite smoothie.
While I spend most of my time focusing on specialty food companies, a girl can’t eat all the time! As a small business owner, it’s been great fun to get to know other women entrepreneurs. This summer, I met Raquel Graham Crayton, the creator of Nekz and Headlightz, two amazing products that will change your life. Now that it’s finally cooling off in Charleston, I’m looking forward to wearing my Headlightz hat and my Nekz scarf when walking Sophie on these dark mornings! Racquel is a serial inventor. She designed Nekz when her children refused to wear scarves during Chicago’s winters, and she created Headlightz so she could go for a run on those short Chicago days. I can’t wait to see what she designs for summer weather!
I also met Ann Blackwell Thompson at The Southern Coterie Summit this year (a phenomenal gathering of dynamic and creative women). Ann is an artist who paints with botanicals, hence the name of her business, Blackwell Botanicals. Ann collects foliage, flowers, and seaweed and creates beautiful pieces with them. Her business cards alone are frame-worthy!
When I need to elevate my sense of style, I love to turn to Emily McCarthy’s Shoppe in Savannah. Emily raises the bar on fun with accessories, hostess gifts, entertaining necessities, and more. I can bake a cookie, but it takes help to make the rest of my world look good, and the Emily McCarthy Shoppe makes that easy!
Need more gift ideas? Check out these other great gift guides for additional inspiration!
https://shop.tastemade.com/pages/gifts-for-the-young-at-heart
https://www.mypanier.com/blogs/food-trends/10-unique-food-gifts-from-around-the-world
https://direct.lowesfoods.com/products-landing
http://thelocalpalate.com/articles/tlp-sponsored-holiday-gift-guide-2018/
https://www.womenownedlogo.com/women-owned-business/2018/11/7/women-owned-cookies
]]>
It's funny how things go around in this life. When I was a young mother of three sons (all born in under 4 years), I often relied on babysitters to help out. This gave me precious time so I could do glamorous things like run to the grocery store without the boys. Because loading three sons into the grocery cart would leave precious little room for the actual groceries!
One of our trusted sitters in those years was a business student at USC by the name of Laura Kirkman. After Laura graduated, she moved to New York to work for Ralph Lauren, and we lost touch. I did recall that Laura's senior project was to write a business plan for a bridal boutique.
A few years later, my husband and I were in Charleston wandering around on a beautiful afternoon. Our meandering had a purpose, though! I wanted to see if I could find a house on Hasell Street where my family had lived briefly when I was about 3 or 4 years old. I thought I recalled what the front of the house looked like, but mostly I remembered that there had been a corner grocery store next door. That stuck in my brain because the store had lots of penny candy right at a 3-year old's eye level! I had a sweet tooth even back then.
As we wandered down Hasell Street, I thought I found the house, but the corner grocer now housed Maddison Row, a beautiful bridal boutique. I called my older brother and confirmed that I had indeed found the house, as he recalled the street number.
I didn't think anything more about the bridal shop until the quarterly magazine from the Moore School of Business at USC showed up in the mail. Laura Kirkman was smiling back at me from the cover of the magazine, with a feature about her bridal boutique in Charleston called Maddison Row. It turns out that the original location was that shop next to the house where I lived on Hasell Street!
Fast forward to earlier this year, when I reached out to Laura, and we had a chuckle about what a small world it is! We caught up on what she had been up to since then. Laura sold Maddison Row, got married, and started a family of her own. She also started a consulting company, In/House, to provide strategic branding advice to companies.
In turn, I told Laura that Grey Ghost Bakery’s Molasses Spice cookie won a sofi Award in April, which meant we needed to fast track our 2018 goal to redesign our packaging. We wanted to have our brand refresh and new packaging ready for the Fancy Food Show in New York at the end of June. So, I pressed Laura into service for me once again, but for a different set of babies this time! Laura and her team redesigned the Grey Ghost Bakery look and brand. She carried that through to our package re-design and updated our website, too. I couldn't be happier with the results, and I hope you like it too!
]]>I loved making s'mores when I was at summer camp in the mountains of North Carolina, so it always brings me back to the days of camp songs and bunk beds. There’s nothing quite like the smell of roasting marshmallows over a fire, and then quickly smushing the finger burning marshmallow between two graham crackers, with a square of Hershey’s chocolate thrown in for good measure.
We occasionally talked our parents into letting us make s'mores at the beach too, if there was a fire on the beach. I didn't love that as much, though, because it's virtually impossible to get your marshmallow just perfectly browned without somehow getting a little grainy sand in there too! Especially since we always untwisted wire coat hangers to use as our skewers, and they always seemed to have a mind of their own when it came to wobbling all over the place. We weren't fancy enough to have special purpose skewers for hot dogs and marshmallows. So I really can’t recommend sandy s'mores!
Which is why I decided to create this recipe for mason jar s’mores. With layers of crushed Grey Ghost Bakery chocolate chip cookies, marshmallow meringue and chocolate ganache, they have the same delicious combination of goodness but without the sticky mess and burnt fingers! You can assemble the jars ahead of time, and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Just toast the marshmallows on top using a kitchen torch or broiler to give it that roasted marshmallow flavor that I love.
As I think you all know, I clearly have a thing for cookies! So it’s only natural that I had to figure out a way to work them into my s’mores recipe. Turns out, our Chocolate Chip Cookies hit a lot of the same notes as graham crackers: buttery, sugary, and with just a hint of sweet molasses. The addition of pecans adds a nice crunch, and the chocolate chips just add more chocolatey goodness to the dessert.
When you read through the recipe, don’t be intimidated by the marshmallow meringue or the chocolate ganache. Those are just fancy baking terms for marshmallow fluff and chocolate sauce, so feel free to substitute with those ingredients if you’re short on time. But if you are able to, it’s worth the effort to make the entire recipe as is. It really elevates this simple summertime dessert.
Not only do these little desserts taste amazing, but the layers also look so pretty in the mason jars. And everyone always has extra mason jars lying around the house! So put them to good use and make this sweet treat for all of your summer get-togethers, from backyard BBQs to family beach vacations to even baby and wedding showers.
I hope you enjoy these no bake mason jar s’mores, and treasure the last precious days of summer!
Serves 6
Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup good quality semi-sweet or milk chocolate, such as Hershey’s, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup
Marshmallow Meringue:
2 egg whites, room temperature
Dash salt
1 cup marshmallow cream
S’mores Mason Jar Desserts:
6 Grey Ghost Bakery Chocolate Chip cookies, crushed
Chocolate ganache
Marshmallow meringue
There’s nothing sweeter than celebrating a new baby on the way! With fun decor, tiny, sweet gifts and lots of ooh-ing and ahh-ing, it's such a heartwarming gathering for friends and family.
It used to be that there was only one type of baby shower - it was for first-time moms a month before their due date and was only attended by other women. But today there are so many ways to shower the new parents with love and blessings – both before and after the birth. As the lucky host, you can plan a co-ed baby shower with the whole family, offer to host the reveal party to announce the gender or even organize a post-birth gathering called a 'Sip and See' that includes the new arrival!
With so many ways to celebrate, we've got one delicious way to make your party planning easier - with cookies! These sweet treats come in any of our hand-crafted flavors and are available in snackable two-packs as well as cookie gift boxes filled with six cookies for more substantial gifts. We've got three sweet ways you can incorporate cookies into your upcoming Baby Shower.
If you host a baby shower for the new parents, small party favors for the guest are traditional. Typically, it's something small but specially chosen for the event. And we think the best favors are the ones you can eat. Our cookie favors are a sweet way to say thank you for their presence AND presents!
Gender reveal parties are an exciting way for the new parents to find out whether they should start planning for a little boy or girl! With our semi-custom two-packs, you can plan a sweet gender reveal. We love seeing these beautiful cookies displayed with coordinating pink or blue crinkle cut paper to highlight the surprise. Tuck a few toys alongside the cookies and place the whole gift inside a plain white box. Seeing the look on the parents face when they open the box is priceless - get your camera ready!
If you didn’t get a chance to celebrate the new baby before the birth, a 'Sip and See' is the perfect way to shower the happy family. It’s a casual drop-in, giving relatives and friends a chance to meet the newest member of the family. Typically thrown between 2 and 8 weeks after the baby arrives, you should provide some light snacks and of course, something to sip on! It's always fun to serve a little bubbly but tea or coffee are also perfect for daytime celebrations. You can design your own labels like Caroline did or simply choose from our ready-to-order designs.
You can choose one of their many semi-custom designs (a few are featured above), or you can design your own fully-custom label. With their labels and our cookies, you can coordinate your cookie favors with custom text, your favorite flavors and your shower colors. If you're planning a baby shower, get in touch! We’d love to help you celebrate the new arrival with our cookies.
]]>When I started Grey Ghost Bakery, I wanted to share our family's favorite cookies with others, and knew that our favorite Molasses cookie would be in the list. I made some special changes to the original recipe to make it even more delicious, and Grey Ghost Bakery's Molasses Spice was born! It's an old-fashioned flavor with a modern kick - and I hope you love it as much as I do.
]]>
Dirt cakes are an American invention. They’re usually made with layers of pudding topped with crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies, resembling dirt. They are topped with gummy worms and even sometimes served in a terra cotta pot. It’s a popular dessert for a potluck since it requires no actual baking. Plus kids of all ages love the fun presentation.
I know that when you think of dirt cake, you think of chocolate cookies. But since spring is right around the corner, we wanted to brighten it up with our Lemon Sugar cookies. And hey, not all dirt is dark brown! Since we're in Charleston, you could even look at this as more of a beach sand cake.
And since we’re using our buttery, tart Lemon Sugar Cookies, we were craving a pudding layer to compliment those flavors. Lemon and lavender are perfect together so we added dried lavender buds to the the pudding layer. I love the floral aroma of the lavender with the bright crystallized lemon in the cookies.
The best part of making dirt cake is the decorations! Since we’re making this for Easter, we used sugared mint leaves for our greenery. To make them at home, you just need fresh mint leaves, egg whites and sugar. We followed the instructions here to make ours. Once our mint leaves finished drying, we nestled pastel chocolate eggs in the mint for an entirely edible Easter egg hunt!
This dessert is sure to be a favorite in your family. You can make each person their own mini-dirt cake or use one large dish to enjoy it family-style. No matter how you serve it, we hope you love it as much as we do. And if you make it at home, be sure to share a pic and tag us on Facebook or Instagram. We’d love to see all the sweet decorations!
Happy Easter from the Grey Ghost Bakery Family!
Lemon Lavender Dirt Cake
Serves 8-12
Dirt Cake:
12 Grey Ghost Bakery Lemon Sugar Cookies
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon dried lavendar buds
About 3 cups Whipped Cream (recipe below)
Edible Decorations (optional)
Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
]]>
For everyday enjoyment, we usually recommend enjoying our cookies with milk, coffee or tea. But a special occasion calls for a special beverage. And we think our buttery, made-from-scratch cookies are perfect with a glass of wine. But just like with any food and wine pairing, some cookies and wine go together better than others.
So after much tasting and sipping (hard work, we know!), we've chosen our three favorite cookie and wine pairings. You can choose your favorite combo or for even more fun, try all three for truly sweet evening!
Did you know that December is the most popular month to get engaged? Which means there's a whole lot of people that have just started planning their big day! You've got a lot of big decisions to make, but it's the little details that make the whole celebration special. We’d love to share five memorable ways you can incorporate our hand-crafted cookies into your wedding celebrations.
A fly-fishing theme was the perfect backdrop for Mary Margaret and Sam's wedding in February. As a long-time friend of the family, we wanted to do something special for them to honor the love they have for each other as well as our friendship. So we helped Mary Margaret and Sam tell their story with cookie favors. Designed by Lettered Olive, the labels were customized with a fly-fishing theme in their wedding colors.
With our custom two-packs, you can design a sweet proposal your bridesmaids will be sure to cherish. Last season, we shared a few memorable ways to use cookies to pop the question. Use the cookie to ask the question and the other favors to tell a story, like wedding-day accessories or local food items. It’s a thoughtful and fun way to ask your best friends to be a part of your special day.
What better way to greet out of town guests than a customized welcome basket, filled with carefully selected treats! This is especially gracious if you're having a destination wedding here in the south and want to give everyone to a taste of the local culinary culture. We love this curated breakfast basket with customized cookie two-packs, homemade jelly and King Bean Coffee. It's the perfect way to start your day.
If you're throwing an engagement party for the happy couple, there's no sweeter way to celebrate than with custom cookies. They're perfect serve as dessert or to send home as party favors. Either way, the bride and groom are sure to cherish this thoughtful touch. Just make sure you set aside a couple of packs for the guests of honor to take home with them!
It's traditional to thank anyone who throws you a wedding-related event, like an engagement party or bachelorette weekend, with a hostess gift. Cookies are a sweet way to give your hostesses a gift they'll actually enjoy. Plus, it's an everyday luxury that you can afford if you have multiple hosts to thank!
So to all the lucky couples out there, Happy Wedding Planning! And don't forget the cookies!
You can choose one of their many semi-custom designs (a few are featured above), or you can design your own fully-custom label. If you're planning a wedding celebration, get in touch! We’d love to help you tell your story through our cookies.
]]>My Aunt Sally made fudge the old-fashioned way and it might be the best fudge you have ever tasted. There are a lot of fudge recipes out there with shortcuts – everything from marshmallow fluff to condensed milk. But Aunt Sally made her fudge using simple ingredients and a traditional method. We keep her recipe at our beach house in Pawley’s Island. The card is weathered and worn, taped up inside a cabinet with no instructions - just an ingredient list and amounts for making multiple batches.
But my whole family knows how to make it! We whip up a batch almost every time we're at the beach house, but it's a must on game nights. We play board games and cards and nibble on the dense, chocolate fudge. We love it on holidays too, but for us, it's a year-round treat.
The beach house recipe is simple, with only has 5 ingredients. The trickiest part is getting it to the right temperature. You can use a candy thermometer to get it precisely to 238 degrees. Or you can test it as you go along until it reaches the “soft-ball stage,” which is how we always made it at the beach house. Most of the time, we get it just right. But sometimes it doesn't set up or it becomes rock hard. We'll eat it no matter what - it's that tasty!
I wanted to stay true to my Aunt Sally’s recipe but also give an extra boost of flavor and texture to my Christmas fudge this year. Originally, we thought about folding the cookies into the fudge itself. But since you have to beat the mixture pretty vigorously, we decided against this method. Instead, it's best to make the fudge exactly the way my Aunt Sally did and add the cookies at the end. Once the fudge is in the pan, still warm and pliable, just press crumbled Chocolate Mint Cookies into the top of the fudge. Then let it set before cutting it into pieces and adding a sprinkle of festive colored sugar.
So if you’re making fudge this year, try adding some Grey Ghost cookies to the top. The flavor and texture make it a fun addition to the dessert table. I hope you love my Aunt Sally's recipe as much as we do!
Christmas Cookie Fudge
makes 20-24 pieces of fudge
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 Grey Ghost Bakery Chocolate Mint Cookies
Red or Green decorating sugar
1. Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with non-stick spray or grease with butter.
2. Place the sugar, cocoa powder and whole milk in a saucepot and stir to combine.
3. Bring the mixture to a slow boil, stirring constantly. As soon as it boils, stop stirring. Reduce the heat as needed to keep a steady, slow boil.
4. Let the mixture boil until it reaches 238 degrees or the sugar reaches a ‘soft-ball’ stage.*
5. Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and let cool to 110 degrees.
6. Add the butter and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, beat the fudge until it is thickened and is no longer shiny.
7. Spread the fudge into the prepared pan.
8. Sprinkle the cookies over the fudge and push down so the crumbs stick into top layer of the fudge.
9. Place in the fridge to firm up, at least 4 hours.
10. Remove from the fridge and slice into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle with red or green decorating sugar. Serve squares in small paper candy cups.
*To learn how to determine the soft-ball stage in candy making, you can find more information here. https://www.thespruce.com/making-candy-without-a-candy-thermometer-520309
Our Chocolate Bourbon cookie was inspired by the flavors in the Derby Pie I make for my family. It's hard to go wrong with chocolate and pecans, and we wanted to add the richness of bourbon to give it a truly southern taste. It's a decadent cookie that would be delicious served with coffee, milk or even a bourbon cocktail after dinner! We are so excited to introduce this flavor to our customers.
I love cheesecake and always enjoy when the recipes are mixed up a little as a departure from the traditional New York-style cheesecake with the graham cracker crust. This cheesecake is a delicious way to celebrate the cool fall weather. It’s made with a Chocolate Bourbon Cookie Crust, then topped with Bourbon Whipped Cream and Cinnamon Glazed Pecans for an added sweet crunch.
We decided it would be fun to make mini cheesecakes instead of the traditional large cheesecake. This recipe make four small cheesecakes, using 4 inch springform pans. But if you'd like to make a large cheesecake, simply double the recipe!
The cookies are available on our website and at many of our retailers, including Whole Foods. We are adding retailers every day who are picking these up...and the cookies have only been available since the first week of October! If you don't see them on the shelves, let us know where you'd like them to be available.
Just make sure you get an extra bag so you can make this delicious cheesecake! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Makes 4 mini-cheesecakes
Crust:
2 cups Grey Ghost Bakery Chocolate Bourbon cookie crumbs
1/8 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Cheescake:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bourbon Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
1 cup Cinnamon Glazed Pecans, chopped
Bourbon Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
In our family, it's tradition to make my Mother's Pound Cake for almost any occasion. But how could we possibly celebrate our fifth birthday without cookies? We needed both. So we decided to use our pound cake base and put cookies in the batter. Inspired by our easy cookie cupcakes earlier this month, we created layered mini-cakes with some of our favorite flavors. They are the best of both worlds!
The fun thing about these cakes is that you can customize the flavors based on your favorite Grey Ghost Cookies. And while we love using our family pound cake recipe as the base, you can certainly use any neutral cake recipe that you like making at home.
We made our mini-cakes with Almond Toffee, Cinnamon Pecan and Chocolate Chip cookies. Plus we've added some complimentary ingredients to bump up the cookie flavor in the cakes. First you make the cake batter, then you stir in the cookies and additional ingredients. Bake the cakes as you normally would and then let them cool. You can frost them as is, but we like to use a large circular cookie cutter to make layered mini-cakes.
We started with our newest flavor, Almond Toffee. These chewy cookies are chock full of another delicious confection, Dottie's Toffee also made in South Carolina. With the buttery flavor from the toffee, we knew these cookies would be the best place to start building our layers. We really wanted to boost the almond flavor so we went about it in two ways: by adding toasted, slivered almonds and by stirring almond extract into the batter. And once the batter was in the baking pan, we swirled in a salty caramel sauce.
For the second layer, we wanted to use another nutty, buttery cookie. And since National Pecan Cookie Day is coming up on September 21st, we had our Cinnamon Pecan cookies on the brain. We added in more southern pecans, toasted of course, and also a couple of dashes of Pumpkin Pie spice to highlight the warm cinnamon flavor in my Dad’s favorite cookie.
The third layer was the hardest to choose. We knew we wanted chocolate but with four options to choose from, it wasn’t an easy decision. All of our chocolate cookies would be delicious, but we ultimately decided to stick with the classic Chocolate Chip. This layer was all about the chocolate, so we added cocoa powder AND chocolate chips to the batter.
So you see, there's no need to choose between your favorite desserts on your birthday. You can have your cookies and cake and eat them too! We hope you'll try out our Cookie Cake recipe at home. Get creative and share your pictures with us on Facebook and Instagram. We can't wait to see your custom cookie creations!
Grey Ghost Cookie Cake
Makes 1 1-inch layer
3 cups prepared cake batter
2 Grey Ghost Bakery Cookies, smashed
Add-ins (options below)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and lightly coat with flour.
3. Combine the cake batter, crushed cookies and additional add-ins. Pour into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly.
4. Bake until the cake is firm and a toothpick inserted in the middle pulls out cleanly, about 10-12 minutes. (Baking time will vary depending on the batter you use.)
5. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the cake from the pan and transfer to a wire rack.
7. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
ADD-IN OPTIONS
Almond Toffee - 2 crushed Almond Toffee Cookies, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds, 2 tablespoons salted caramel sauce
Chocolate Chip - 2 crushed Chocolate Chip Cookies, 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Cinnamon Pecan - 2 crushed Cinnamon Pecan Cookies, 2 tablespoons toasted pecan pieces, 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend
Adding Cinnamon Pecan cookies to our recipe also brought back memories. When I was little, there was a pecan grove on my grandfather’s farm and the cousins would wander through, picking up pecans that had fallen on the ground. I’d take mine home and my father would watch football while cracking the shells and cleaning the nuts, and I would help. I had an ulterior motive in helping clean those pecans. You see, Daddy taught me to bake and his favorite cookie (and mine), was our Cinnamon Pecan cookie, which Dad always called "The Goodest Cookie in the World!"
And now one of my favorite ways to enjoy the 'goodest' cookie in the world is to pair it with juicy, late summer peaches. A bubbly peach crisp is just as easy to prepare as a cobbler. Plus it has even more flavor with its crunchy topping.
When you have great ingredients, you don't have to do much to make a delicious dessert. Which is good news since it's so hot right now! So the prep time on this recipe is short and you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already. Plus, I don't even peel the peaches for this crisp. Simply slice the fruit and toss with flour, brown sugar and a little bit of lemon juice and vanilla to make the base. For the crumbly topping, you just need butter, flour, rolled oats and our Cinnamon Pecan Cookies.
I hope you'll enjoy this dessert as much as I do. My peach crisp truly is a taste of home, and reminds me of time spent with family. What is it about food and memories that are so intricately linked?
Peach Crisp
Makes 6-8 servings
4 cups sliced ripe peaches, skin on
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour, divided in half
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup rolled oats
6 Grey Ghost Bakery Cinnamon Pecan Cookies, crushed
1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream (for serving)
Our icebox cake was inspired by Nabisco’s FAMOUS Chocolate Refrigerator Roll. I started making this as a kid, using the recipe right off the chocolate wafer box! They’re the thin, Oreo-flavored cookies without the cream. Once upon a time, it was just whipped cream between each cookie, making a log with the cookies stacked vertically. After it spends time in the freezer, it basically turns into an ice cream cake. It was definitely a childhood favorite.
The original recipe only has 3 ingredients: vanilla, cream and cookies. And while we’ve fancied it up a bit, we are still only using 5 total, 6 if you count the optional chocolate garnish. Instead of the chocolate wafers, we’ve bumped up the flavor with our decadent Chocolate Espresso Cookies. The cookies are surrounded by slightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream and complimented by tangy cherry jam. And I do love the Sour Cherry Jam from Stonewall Kitchen in this cake. It’s got a bright flavor that cuts through the richness of the cream to balance the whole dessert.
The best part of this cake is that there is absolutely no baking involved and it’s made well in advance. The hardest part is making whipped cream, which isn’t hard at all if you have a mixer. I’ve seen some people make this with Cool Whip but I’m a whipped cream snob! I use heavy cream, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. I prefer organic heavy cream when I can find it and the vanilla extract has to be pure. Neilsen-Massey is great for home use. I don’t really follow a recipe when I make whipped cream at home but I’ve shared my basic version below. You can just add more or less sugar depending on your tastes.
I like to make the icebox cake on sheet pan and transfer it to pretty platter to serve. A little extra whipped cream before serving looks nice. I also garnish with small chocolate curls to make it pretty, but that’s all optional. Keep it simple this summer and enjoy!
Icebox Cake:
Makes 4-6 servings
1 8-ounce bag Grey Ghost Bakery Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Vanilla Whipped cream (recipe below)
6 ounces Stonewall Kitchen Sour Cherry Jam
Milk Chocolate curls, for garnish (optional)
*You can also line up all the cookie sandwiches in a row, forming a log. Slice on the diagonal to serve.
Vanilla Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
We've made desserts before with a cookie crust, but we decided to double it up and use crumbled Lemon Sugar cookies for the crust AND for the topping. The extra hit of lemon flavor also helps the cookies hold up in the heat. In between two layers of cookie crumbs, we've folded fresh raspberries into the slightly sweet cream cheese base.
And while a food processor and hand mixer make quick work of this dessert, you could just as easily make this one completely unplugged! It's easy to crush the cookies in a plastic bag and use a sturdy whisk for the cream cheese mixture. Once all the components are assembled, just pop them in the fridge to firm up overnight.
Right before serving, we like to top these cookie bars with Blueberry Whipped Cream. It’s super simple to make and adds an added layer of flavor to the dessert. You simply whip heavy cream with a bit of powdered sugar and one of our favorite products, Blueberry Syrup from Blackberry Patch. Blackberry Patch makes a line of delicious, small-batch syrups in Thomasville, Georgia. And you can find more delectable recipes for using their syrups on their website.
We chose their 3-ingredient Blueberry Syrup to pair with our Lemon Cookies in this no-bake dessert. Emily McCarthy inspired us to use this pairing last summer with her boozy cocktail recipe! She combined our cookies with ice cream, Cathead Vodka and and Blueberry Syrup for one of her signature Ice Cream Social cocktails. Berries, Cream and our Lemon Sugar Cookies are a delicious combination and we couldn't wait to feature it in a summer dessert.
Are you making a dessert for the Fourth of July? If so, we hope you will try out these No-Bake bars for your friends and family. It's a sweet way to celebrate one of our favorite holidays!
Bars:
2 cups Grey Ghost Bakery Lemon Sugar Cookie crumbs*, divided
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/2 packet Knox Unflavoured Gelatin
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh raspberries plus extra for garnish
1 cup Blueberry Whipped Cream (recipe below)
*We've found that the best way to crush the cookies is simply to pulse them in a food processor until crumbly.
Blueberry Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Blackberry Patch Blueberry Syrup
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Of course, strawberries are always a hit in desserts. Last year, we combined them with a luscious lemon custard for our Lemon Sugar Cookie Trifle. But they are also delicious in savory dishes, like this spring salad. We love the classic combination of strawberries, goat cheese and pecans on dark greens. The sweet, juicy berries work well with slightly bitter greens like arugula. A tangy goat cheese contrasts with the sweetness of the strawberries. And it all balances out with toasted nuts for crunch.
A lot of people use candied pecans in this kind of salad. They are sweet and salty with just enough crunch that you don’t even need croutons. So those tasty pecans inspired us to use our Cinnamon Pecan Cookies to encrust the goat cheese. At first we thought it might be too sweet. But when we tried it out, the balance of nuts, sweetness and cinnamon was the perfect coating for the tangy cheese. And we really wanted to enjoy them warm, in the style of the classic French salads that we love.
A three part breading method is needed. The first coat of flour gives us a dry surface for the egg to cling to. The egg is sticky enough to adhere the cookie pieces, along with additional pecans for crunch. Once the little rounds are coated, we popped them in the freezer to harden. That way, they didn’t melt into the pan when we went to sear the cheese. You’ll want to have the rest of the salad components all completed once you get to this step. That way you can top each guest's salad with a warm round.
The salad is finished off with a Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette. It’s a nice, bright dressing to pull all the elements together. Plus, we love how easy it is to make. Just put all the ingredients in a mason jar and shake! What could be more simple?
We hope you love this salad as much as we do! It's such a fun way to enjoy strawberries this spring. Don't forget to order your cookies or find a local retailer. Happy Easter!
Salad
Makes 4 Individual Salads
4 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water
1/2 cup Grey Ghost Bakery Cinnamon Pecan Cookies, crushed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped finely
Canola oil, for searing
10 ounces arugula
8 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced
Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, grated
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup canola oil
It’s easy to see why Banana Pudding is such a popular dessert. It’s an easy way to feed a crowd, tastes great cold and is fairly simple to make. The most complicated part is probably making the vanilla custard. But if you can stir a pot, you’ve mastered the main technique! And yes, it’s definitely worth the extra time. Skip the pudding mix and make your own custard for a truly delicious Banana Pudding.
And to really boost the flavor, we’ve drizzled a decadent Peanut Butter Cream over the pudding. It’s a snap to stir together and tastes amazing over pancakes, waffles, or even chocolate brownies. Simply whisk your favorite peanut butter with heavy cream and a little sugar to sweeten the mixture.
So if you’re in charge of making dessert for Easter dinner this year, treat every one to our Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Pudding. And just to sweeten your day, we’re offering a special discount when you order cookies for your pudding. Enjoy 20% off our Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies for the rest of the month. Use the code PEANUT20 when you checkout. Enjoy!
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons peanut butter
6 tablespoons heavy cream
4 ripe bananas, sliced
24 peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, broken into chunks
3 cups whipped cream
1 square chocolate (for garnish)
We’d love to share a few memorable ways you can incorporate our custom cookie favors into your themed box. Use the cookie to ask the question and the other favors to tell a story. It’s a thoughtful and fun way to ask your best friends to be a part of your special day.
We love the idea of including a cute pair of earrings and coordinating nail-polish that they can wear on the wedding day. It’s traditional to honor your bridesmaids with a gift and this is a fun way to get everyone excited about the ceremony. For a Lowcountry wedding, we fell in love with these gorgeous oyster-inspired, Silk Tassel Hoops designed by Carson Lunceford of Talley Collections. With a signature oyster-shaped hoop and available in a variety of colors, they help tell your wedding story with a bright pop of color. Toss in a coordinating nail-polish and your friends will definitely say 'I do!"
Get the party started early with a cocktail-themed proposal box. We chose a festive Moscow Mule for our theme. Made with Vodka, lime juice and ginger beer, the Moscow Mule is served in a signature copper mug. (You can can even have the mugs personalized for a unique gift!) The classic cocktail is additionally refreshing when mixed with Ginger Beer from Cannonborough Beverage Co., a natural soda company here in Charleston. And don’t forget a little medical kit with some pain reliever and mints. It will help the girls bounce back from the rehearsal dinner and get ready for main event.
Walking down the aisle can work up the appetite and no one wants hungry bridesmaids at the ceremony! So give your friends a taste of the Lowcountry with these local goodies. We chose a mix of savory and sweet to please all the taste buds. Lowcountry Kettle chips have fun southern flavors like Spicy Pimento Cheese and Mustard BBQ Sauce. Seasoned with Bulls Bay Saltworks, these crispy potato chips are perfect with a chilled beverage. Add in the BBQ chicharrones from Mercantile and Mash for a unique southern treat. We like to round out the basket with a decadent local chocolate bar. The Sea is for Caramel bar from Sweeteeth combines caramel with dark chocolate and sea salt. It’s their most popular bar and sure to be your bridesmaids new favorite as well.
No matter how you say it, your bridesmaids will be so excited to join the wedding party when they see these proposals. If you’re ready to pop the question, check out our full catalog here or give us a call. You can customize your treats down to the tastiest detail, including colors, design and the message!
]]>I'm not sure when her Roast Beef recipe was published, but it's been around my family for eons. We usually use a bottom round roast, which is what she suggests but you can also use an eye of round or top sirloin roast. This guide from Epicurious helps explain the different cuts. Or of course, you can just ask your butcher which cut would work well here.
Asparagus casserole was frequently on the menu whenever I made my Aunt's recipe. I was a product of the 'Campbell's Soup Casserole Era' and we made it this way growing up. Start by draining two cans of asparagus and layer in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with two cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup, sprinkle liberally with grated cheddar cheese and bake at 350 till bubbly and golden brown. It's very rich, completely southern and easy to throw together.
While that was standard fare when I was growing up, I much prefer crunchier vegetables now! This recipe from Trisha Yearwood is a more modern version using fresh asparagus and a homemade cheddar cheese sauce. It’s still rich and cheesy but a lot less processed. Her version includes hard-boiled eggs, which you see occasionally. Southerners love adding in hard-boiled eggs to casseroles and it really adds a delicious touch to the dish.
It’s a blessing to be able to hand these recipes down from one generation to the next. We hope you enjoy this taste of home from the Grey Ghost Family. Stay cozy out there!
Aunt Anne's Roast Beef
2 pounds Beef Roast such as Bottom Round
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups beef stock or bouillon
1/2 cup red wine
Even though it was invented in Jamaica, Hummingbird Cake has been a southern holiday staple since the 70’s. The first known recipe for Hummingbird cake was published in Southern Living in 1978 by Mrs. L H Wiggins. Southern Living has always been an inspiration - I grew up reading my mother's copies before getting a subscription of my own. And we have lots of torn-out recipes from Southern Living over the years.
Hummingbird Cake is the most requested recipe in the magazine’s tradition, so we thought it would be fun to make a version of our own using our Cinnamon Pecan Cookies. Hummingbird Cake is chock-full of fruit and nuts and then covered with a rich cream cheese frosting. It’s usually a layered cake but the holiday’s are a busy time for us! We simplified the recipe by incorporating the same flavors into a classic bundt cake with a pourable cream cheese glaze. By folding our Cinnamon Pecan cookies into the cake itself and as a crunchy topping, you get an extra hit of holiday flavor. What a sweet new holiday tradition!
Cinnamon Pecan Hummingbird Cake
Serves 8-12
Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup Grey Ghost Bakery Cinnamon Pecan cookies, finely ground
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 cup chopped pecans, plus more for garnish
1 cup unsweetened coconut, plus more for garnish
Glaze:
2 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
About 1 tablespoon milk
Grey Ghost Bakery Cinnamon Pecan cookies, lightly crumbled
Chopped pecans
Unsweetened coconut
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When it comes to Sweet Potato Casserole topping, we are a house divided. Since half love the gooey marshmallows and half love the crunchy pecans, I just split the casserole right down the middle and do half and half to keep everyone happy! You can find my family recipe here.
One of the favorite sides I make is brussel sprouts. I simply saute minced garlic in olive oil, then add the shaved sprouts until they turn bright green. I drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with red pepper flakes to serve. Even friends and family who will never touch a brussel sprout will like these!
Another one of our favorite old southern recipes you might recognize is Consommé Rice, which I make with Campbell’s Consommé. This came out of a cookbook my mother had, but I have no idea which one as I only have a photocopy. If you happen to know which book it’s from, let me know in the comments section! You can see the first time she made it was March 1965, so the book is at least that old.
And of course, my family has a few favorite desserts that we do for Thanksgiving. The Pecan Tart (basically Pecan Pie) from the 1999 issue of Bon Appétit appears every year but my three son's favorite dessert is definitely Derby Pie.
The Pawley’s Island Derby Pie we make was a standard dessert at Louis Osteen’s Pawley’s Island Inn in the 1980’s. The pie was created by Susan Felder, who left the Inn to open the Rice Paddy in Georgetown with another Pawley’s Island Inn alum, Susan Hibbs.
Louis Osteen includes a recipe for the Pawley’s Island Derby Pie in his cookbook, Louis Osteen’s Charleston Cuisine. But I have tweaked our recipe over the years, adjusting amounts and substituting pecans for the walnuts. Sometimes I even cheat and buy ready-made pie crust!
Just like with our hand-crafted cookies, this pie is perfect with a hot cup of coffee or cold glass of milk. Maybe next week it will become one of your Thanksgiving traditions as well!
Katherine's Derby Pie
Serves 8-10
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups pecan pieces
2 9-inch pie crusts