This recipe post definitely brings back some memories! When I was pregnant with my daughter and in my third trimester, I always felt like I was going to go into labor with her any day. Everyone who saw me thought so too, as I would have random strangers at the grocery store look at my and tell me I looked like I was going to was going to have the baby pop out of me (I remember this clearly when I was about 33 weeks along….). You can imagine my shock when my due date approached and still no baby! My due date came and went, and of course for days I thought I was going into labor, and each day I thought “today is the day.” But then it never happened. I had to be induced at 130 AM on Monday April 7th. Even after they induced me, I was worried that it wouldn’t work. Another mommy to be came into the hospital at the same time as I did and they had to send her home and reschedule! Luckily, after hours and hours and more hours, I gave birth to Wendy Olivia at 7:20 PM that evening. She has been a joy for almost 8 years since then (and for new mamas, when they say time flies…it actually does). Cherish every second!
Before I was induced that night I was trying natural ways at home to induce labor. I was just hoping that it would happen before having to go into the hospital. I had heard stories of women eating different things like pineapple or spicy food and that it worked for them. I tried tons of stuff, and then I came across a recipe for these cookies. They are supposed to induce labor because of the ginger in them, which apparently has been known to do the trick. Well, another trick that did not work for me, but the cookies were dang good! They were probably the best ginger cookies I had ever had, and Greg definitely agreed. They have just the right balance of sweet, gingery, and spicy and they are totally a comfort treat. And hey, maybe they will help you with natural labor! Enjoy!
Recipe for Spicy Ginger Labor Inducing Cookies
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp. of ground ginger
1/2 tsp. of ground cloves
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper
8 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup of blackstrap molasses
1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
For rolling:
Granulated Sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
Put the butter in a large bowl. Add in the granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Beat with an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy. Add in the molasses, vanilla extract, and eggs and beat well. Add the flour mixture and beat again until well-incorporated.
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.
Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar mixture and then place on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes on baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack, although these cookies do taste best when they are still nice and warm!
Recipe Adapted from: Just Mommies
Here is a picture of my sweet Wendy Olivia, which was taken shortly after she was born, April 7th 2014.
And here is a picture of her today!
Make It and Bake It with Beth 