Ginger Bear Cookies

December 7th, 2011

Each holiday season I make these cookies from a recipe I created that was part of a greeting card illustrated by my friend Hawley Wright.  Shortly after I got married, in the 80s, I started a greeting card company called Wild Rice Cards.  After all we lived in Minnesota, where wild rice is the official state grain.  Hawley is a friend who was the illustrator for many of the cards. Most of the cards had recipes on the back.  I created them, meaning I tweaked family and other recipes.  This card and recipe are my favorite of the entire greeting card line.  Each year I get out the card and make ginger bear cookies.  The recipe is rich with strong flavors and fun to decorate. Here’s the recipe.I am going to my neighborhood cookie exchange in a few days.  These are my contributions.  I like both red heart and raisin noses. And if you tire of making Ginger Bears, there are lots of other shapes to make with cookie cutters.  P.S. Hawley is working on her website. I will have a link soon.  She and her husband have been living a simpler life in Cypress for years, and are now back in the States.  I can’t wait to share her wonderful illustrations.