As you can probably tell by the title of this post, I’m going to share some things about gingerbread in the next 3 posts, rather than cramming it all into this one. It’s just easier that way, for me writing and for you reading… So, here goes! To get started, I’ll give you a recipe.
Gingerbread!
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. fancy molasses (I always take “Fancy” as table molasses, which is milder… But you can use anything)
2/-1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ginger
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses; mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Chill dough at least 4 hours or overnight.
Roll and cut into shapes.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, or until done. Cool on wire racks.
Note: In my next few posts, I’m going to share…
1) How to decorate wreath cookies, and
2) How to make a gingerbread garland for decor
To make the wreath cookies, you will need 2 circle cookie cutters, one large and one small. Cut out large circles for baking, and then the small ones out of the center of those when they come out of the oven. These will be your wreaths.
For the gingerbread garland, cut out at least 16 gingerbread men and women (total). You can also do other shapes if you like.
For the garland, you’ll need to make small holes in the tops of the gingerbread cookies. Use a chopstick or another thin utensil to poke holes in the tops of the gingerbread men, again while they are still warm.
Gingerbread gets hard when it cools off, so making the holes in the gingerbread when it is still hot is to prevent it from breaking later– Don’t procrastinate! Make the holes as soon as it comes out of the oven, while the gingerbread is still soft.
Back soon, with some gingerbread tutorials! Let me know how your cookies turn out. 🙂
–Naomi
