Growing up in the Red River Valley (Fargo, North Dakota) I am all to familiar with flooding.

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Seeing waters rise and feeling the dread of the unknown was an annual event around the Red River.  So I have been especially sensitive to the emotion around the rising of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.  I feel as if I may even know what the residents are feeling… may have some insight to what it looks like to watch water lap the edges of your home.

I decided to make some sandbag cookies… millions and millions of sandbags have been filled in North Dakota over the years.  I wont even begin to estimate how many have been filled in 2011 all across the Unites States!

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But I wanted to also share a message a hope.  Although we have all seen the destruction that water can do… we have also seen cities rebuild.

We have seen people join together and offer support, hope, and prayers.

I want to send out a huge THANK YOU to all those who have dedicated time, strengths, and donations to help save homes and lives.

I also figured it might be neat to share this cookie technique in case anyone wanted to make their own sandbag cookies for someone deserving.

Simply start out with a blank cookie.  I made a couple dozen sandbag cookies and let them sit for about 36 hours. (I would recommend at least 24)

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Get your food coloring pen and create your design of choice.

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I decided to make a ‘stamp’ like design.

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To create the double stamp impression I took a piece of paper towel and pressed it down on the drawing being careful not to move the paper towel around.

I then simply just lifted up the paper towel and moved it to the left about an inch, then pressed it back down on the cookie, gently but firmly.

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You can press the paper towel down longer to get a darker impression.

It just adds a bit of depth a otherwise very simple and boring design.

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Throw them on some brown sugar and call it a day.

Stand strong everyone dealing with the effects of these record breaking rising rivers…  we are rooting for you!

Share with your friends!

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. Amanda, thanks for sharing these beautiful, original, creative and charitable cookies with us. Collectively we need to pray for these folks . xo

  2. Cute and totally fits the season of flooding. Hopefully, these will bring up the energy level of those actually filling sandbags.

  3. I just love watching you put your God given talent to such wonderful things! You are a treasure Amanda.

  4. That is so sweet, Amanda. And your cookies are perfect. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a foodwriter! I am so out of it!

  5. You are such a sweetheart! And I love that stamping technique! How cool is that?!?

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