This is one of the first and most tried and true cookie recipes on this website but I've made some modifications that I think will make this recipe even better! (see below). I've baked them before and was told that I put some kind of addictive drug in them. The only tricky thing about making these cookies is the rolling into a ball part. If you use margarine, your dough can be a bit too gooey to roll. I've added more flour, chilled the dough, neither really works well. Here's what I do, sub 1/4 cup of the margarine with butter. This makes it easy to form the dough. It's still sticky but the ball forms fine. I wouldn't use all butter because then the cookie gets too crispy and doesn't stay as soft. I also don't roll the dough in sugar at the end. I think the cookie has enough. Edit: The last time I made these, I entered them in a cookie contest and lost (the cookies look deceptively plain)! THIS year I'm taking these cookies to the next level by adding: crushed pecans, dried cranberries, and orange rind (also subing fresh squeezed OJ for water) and they came out great! I hope I win the contest this year! I call these cookies GPCs for Ginger Pecan Cranberry.

Reviewed On: Dec. 3, 2008

This is a very easy-to-follow and nearly fool-proof recipe. Do not expect a super creamy rich flan, because this is not. It is certainly a lighter but still yummy flan. I, however, have made an extensive alteration to this recipe that I could post as a new recipe but I find the instructions and basic ingredients from Mogirimi so wonderful that I just decided to post my modifications. My modified flan is orange-flavored and it turned out perfect. To make the flan slightly richer I used 6 whole eggs (you'll get more custard mix this way) and used regular sweetened condense milk. I subsituted 1/4 cup of the water with triple sec (any orange liquer will do) and added 1 tps of grated orange peel. I also added nutmeg to taste. For the sugar, I highly advise you use baker's quality sugar (it melts better). Cooking time will vary depending on what you put your custard in. It may take an hour if the water you added was not boiling and you are cooking in a pie pan (mine took an hour). This orange-flavored version is to die for. I made it for Cinco de Mayo and it disappeared. Enjoy!

Reviewed On: May 11, 2007

Hands down, best spice bread for the holidays. My husband and my father-in-law are not sweettooths and both do not like persimmon. However, my husband swears this is the only dessert bread he will eat and the first time I made this for my father-in-law, he kept pushing persimmons from his tree on me. My mother-in-law said she could eat a whole loaf on her own, and every time I've brought this bread over for a holiday gathering, it disappears. With that said, here are a few cooking suggestions: instead of 3 cups white sugar I add 2.5 cups of brown sugar and instead of regular oil I add olive oil (healthier and brings out the spice). I love spices in my bread (everyone is different) so I add more nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. I also add ground cloves (I dont' know how much, I eye it and add to taste). Alternatively, you can add pumpkin spice. For a moister bread, add a bit more persimmon pulp. To prevent bread from sticking, I find it best to purchase those disposable aluminum foil pans and spray those with PAM cooking spray. I NEVER get sticking and this also prevents overcooking of the "crust." Additionally, there's no pan clean up required. This recipe is extremely easy to make and is incredibly forgiving (can make a few subsitutions or mistakes and it still turns out decent).

Reviewed On: Nov. 29, 2006