There’s nothing like the smell of gingerbread. Yesterday one of my friends came home to the scent of gingerbread baking and posted a thank you note to her husband on facebook. I thought that was so cute! It really does welcome you in. We love to make gingerbread in our house and my oldest daughter has taken our gingerbread recipe to new heights.
Here she is baking a batch last Christmas.
These days she uses a very simple confectioners sugar and water icing and pipes designs on each cookie. If we make them this weekend I’ll try to share some photos. They are simple and delicious!
Here they are a few years ago with lots and lots of buttercream frosting…the younger the kids the more frosting and sprinkles.
This is last weekend’s creation….
Piping is big right now, Buddy Valestro does lots of this…
We love this gingerbread! Here’s the recipe:
Gingerbread Boys
4 Cups flour
1 Teaspoon ginger
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon allspice
1 Cup molasses (or 1/2 cup molasses and 1/2 cup honey, that’s my preference)
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup margarine, softened (we often substitute butter)
2/3 Cup boiling water
1 Teaspoon cream of tarter
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift the flour with the spices, set aside. Blend the molasses, sugar and margarine in a large bowl. Add the boiling water, cream of tarter, baking soda, salt and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture gradually, mixing well after each addition. Add enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 8 to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut with a cookie cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned; do not overbake.
Remove carefully from the cookie sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.
Combine powdered (confectioners) sugar with a few drops of water to make icing. Then use a plastic bag with a pinhole to pipe decorations if you’d like to. Or eat without icing, or you can go crazy like my younger kids did in the photo above and embellish away!
Enjoy Everything!
Michele
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The Salem Garden 
Inspiring – I’m writing this recipe down write now as I prepare for Christmas baking next week. – Beth
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thanks Beth! I think you’ll really like them… I do favor the half honey and half molasses version, especially if your baking for young kids.. their just a bit less tart. Enjoy!
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OH how I adore that smell filling my kitchen as well
🙂
Thanks for the YUMMY POST!!!
Eunice
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You always make me smile Eunice!!
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🙂
That makes ME SMILE
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Reblogged this on The Salem Garden and commented:
I just had a gingerbread cookie a minute ago that was made by the friend’s husband who I was talking about when I wrote this post last year. They use their secret family recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Anyway, here’s the recipe that we use here at The Salem Garden. We love it and it’s quite easy to make and roll out. I hope we make some here in the next few days! Snow is coming so I think there’s a good chance it will happen. Enjoy everything (especially the gingerbread)! Michele
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We love gingerbread cookies, too! Can’t wait to do this with my granddaughter. She loves to decorate (and so do I)
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How lovely the baking is! And even nicer that your daughter is doing/helping! Merry Christmas! Dana
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We LOVE gingerbread! I usually use royal icing (powder sugar plus tempered egg whites) to “build” since it dries rock hard and is about as strong as concrete + superglue and enables easy building but the simpler icing does taste better! This year I made a church! There are pictures of it on my “Merry Christmas” post from Dec 25th 😉
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I love the church, especially the orange slice window! Looks like you had a beautiful Christmas.
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