Calling All Bakers! Submit Your #BakeFair Recipes

Submit Your #BakeFair Recipes for a chance to be featured on Fair Trade USA’s website, and to win a Fair Trade gift basket!

With the 2013 holiday season in full swing, we know that all you bakers out there have your oven mitts prepped and ready for some delicious, wintry treats. This year, show your support for farmers and artisans around the globe by incorporating socially conscious ingredients into this busy baking season. Through their #BakeFair holiday campaign, Fair Trade USA is offering the baking enthusiasts that incorporate Fair Trade Certified ingredients into their favorite holiday recipes a chance to be featured on their website.

It is easier than ever to use Fair Trade Certified products in the recipes that you love, because many of your favorite ingredients, such as bananas, sugar, honey and chocolate, have already met Fair Trade standards. Click here to check out the full list of Fair Trade Certified products, and get baking!

How to Enter

All you have to do is incorporate 2 Fair Trade Certified ingredients into the recipe of your choice. Submit your recipe, personalized with a short (50 words or less) explanation of why Fair Trade matters to you, along with a MANDATORY high resolution photo of your finished product. Scroll down to check out a yummy sample entry!

Submit to: Clang@fairtradeusa.org

 Deadline to enter is: December 20, 2013

Additionally, when you send us your photos, we will upload them onto our Fair Trade Campaigns’ #BakeFair Contest board on our Pinterest page. The person whose photo gets the most repins will win a Fair Trade gift basket!

So what are you waiting for? Get your bake on!

Double Chocolate and Mint Cookies- Sample Entry from “Holiday Hannah”

Buying Fair Trade is important to me because it reminds me that I am supporting fair wages and good working conditions for farmers and producers, and makes me feel personally connected to them.

Recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Yields 12 cookies

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Fair Trade Certified semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons Fair Trade Certified unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup Fair Trade Certified sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Fair Trade Certified vanilla extract
• One 4.67-ounce package chocolate mint thins, such as Andes, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions

1. Position one rack in the center of the oven and one rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine the chocolate and butter in a small bowl and place over a saucepanof barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the sugar, eggs, and 2 tablespoons water and vanilla to blend in a separate large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the cooled chocolate using a rubber spatula. Fold in chocolate mint pieces. Chill dough to firm slightly, 10 minutes.
4. Using a 1/4 cup to measure, drop 6 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing apart. Put one sheet on the center rack in the oven, and one on the bottom rack.
5. Bake cookies 9 minutes. Switch the baking sheets (top to bottom) and bake the cookies until slightly puffed and dry looking with some small cracks on top, 9 to 10 minutes longer. Cool completely on the baking sheets and enjoy!

Lemon Bon-Bons By Kendra Penry of Fair Trade Houston

Check out my incredibly easy recipe that is by FAR one of the most popular items at our Fair Trade bake sale. Makes a wonderful holiday gift wrapped up in festive bags or a great treat at your holiday parties.

Fair Trade matters because baking is about making people feel good and enjoy a special moment and that should include the people that make the ingredients I use. Everything tastes better when baked fair!

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups crushed vanilla wafers
• 1 cup Fair Trade certified powdered sugar (Wholesome Sweeteners)1t instant or very finely ground
• Fair Trade certified coffee (Equal Exchange among others)1 cup Fair Trade certified nuts (chopped) (Equal Exchange)
• 3T white corn syrup
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• Grated rind of 1 lemon

Blend all together well and shape into small balls. Roll in additional Fair Trade certified powdered sugar. Store in air tight container. Tip: do not roll in additional powdered sugar until ready to serve as it will absorb if done too far ahead of time.

Fair Trade Pumpkin Muffins by Kimberlee Patton

FairTrade matters to me because I know that behind the coffee I love and rely on to get me through my long days as a homeschooling mom are just as hard-working, if not harder working farmers who also have families they are raising and trying to provide the best for the future generation.

Ingredients

• 1 can 100% pure pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tsp Simply Organic ground ginger
• 1 tsp Simply Organic ground cinnamon
  1/4 tsp Simply Organic ground cloves
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

• 1/2 c powder sugar
• 1/4 tsp Simply Organic ground ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 435 degrees. Spray muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with 12 muffin paper liners. In medium pot, bring pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves to a simmer until it is thick, about 6 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar and oil to warm pumpkin puree and stir. Slowly eat in eggs. Mixture will thin slightly. In another large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to pumpkin puree and stir till just combined. Pour into muffin pan and bake 20-25 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Let the muffins set in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.   Combine powder sugar and ground ginger and then sift onto cooled muffins.

Chai Banana Bread by Once Upon a Chef http://www.onceuponachef.com/2012/05/chai-spiced-banana-bread.html

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp Simply Organic ground cardamom
• 3/4 tsp Simply Organic ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Simply Organic ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp Simply Organic allspice
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 bananas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp Simply Organic pure vanilla

Glaze:

• 1 cup powder sugar
• 1/2 tsp Simply Organic ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Simply Organic ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp Simply Organic ground nutmeg
• 1 -2Tbsp milk, enough to make pouring consistency

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl or electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat gently until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla and mix on low speed until just combined. Gently stir in nuts if using.
4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until deep golden brown and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Let rest in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely.
5. Combine powder sugar with spices and whisk in milk to reach a thin consistency to be poured onto bread. Adjust spices to taste.
   —
   kimberlee