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Ping per restornu. Not Michigan related exactly, but I love gingerbread, so now you know what to get me for Christmas!
Posted on 11/09/2008 3:47:22 PM PST by restornu
[Archived Chef's Tables Recipes]
Back in the ‘50’s when I was growing up no Christmas was complete without the sweet and spicy smell of gingerbread. An almost intoxicating aroma filled the house and you knew, even as a small child, that it wasn’t long before Christmas eve.
If you ever dined in our Main Dining Room you probably noticed the full sized figures of colonial looking men & women and decorative large wooden planks that appear to have the same figures carved in them.
What most of our guest don’t realize is that these boards are actual hundred and forty plus year old gingerbread boards rescued from a demolished barn in southern Pennsylvania. It was a tradition with the Pennsylvania Dutch to bake these full size gingerbread men and women for special occasions and in particular weddings where the giant cookies would be served in the place of a wedding cake.
We even tried to bake a cookie using the boards once, but had problems with the feet and legs curling up as the cookie cooled. Never did try it a second time.
Our interior design team of Don Nagel, Dave Zeese and Steve Davidek spent countless hours cleaning and refurbishing the boards, giving them an almost new look before proudly mounting them for public display. My recipe for gingerbread is a semi-soft cookie – perfect for making cut-outs or the ever popular gingerbread houses that seem to get more elaborate each year.
OLD FASHIONED GINGERBREAD RECIPE
8 TBSP softened butter ½ tsp salt ½ cup light brown sugar 1 TBSP ground ginger ½ cup molasses 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 egg ½ tsp ground allspice 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp baking powder
Procedure:
Cream butter and sugar together, then beat in molasses and egg. Add all dry ingredients and spices together and mix until well blended. Add dry ingredient to creamed butter/sugar mixture and mix until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface about three-quarters of an inch thick. Using a cookie cutter cut out cookie figures or into three inch squares( if you’re not artistic) and place in a pre-heated 350F oven for 7-8 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Personally, I like mine plain, but you can frost the cookies if you wish (2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 TBSP milk or cream) or just sprinkle with regular sugar while they’re cooling.
What a lovely post. Must pull myself together and bring enthusiasm back into my life. Christmas season will be upon us soon.
Foodie List ping! :)
Thank YOU! I will be trying this recipe out very soon. The one I’ve been using is similar to yours, I just add a pinch or two of Orange Peel spice. Gives the gingerbread cookies at bit of citrus zing.
Great link, thanks!
Mmmm... I can smell them already.
Michigan ping
Bookmarked for later use. I mess around with baking occasionally. Thank you for the recipe!
Foodie Ping! :)
A woman that I work with makes gingerbread houses that are works of art. She’s promised to bring one to us as a Christmas treat. Can’t wait to see it! :)
Thanks for this wonderful recipe and other interesting info!
Thanks, thanks.
I was at Wal-Mart and the orange boxes of junk have been replaced with the green and red boxes of goodies in the seasonal aisle.
Christmas in November. Oh, my.
Di, thanks for the ping!
The Forgotten Cookies are similar to what my mother made every Christmas. She called them, "Forget-Me-Nots."
They melt in your mouth. Give 'em a try!
So far I’ve tried the Best Choc Chip Cookies in the World, the PB cookies and the Buried Cherry ones.
nomm nomm nommmmmm
The first snow of the season is falling outside. I think I’ll make up a batch of these tomorrow morning.
If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.
Ping per restornu. Not Michigan related exactly, but I love gingerbread, so now you know what to get me for Christmas!
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