Gingerbread Memories

Mindy here, and I love gingerbread. Gingerbread Cake, to be specific. It was one of my favorite fall foods when I was growing up. Of course, my mom's came from a box, which I still love, but why bother with a mix when it's so easy to make from scratch.

So when I got a hankering from something fallish this weekend, gingerbread was just the ticket.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3-1/2 cup sugar, depending how sweet you like it
• 1 cups molasses
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt

Okay, let's preheat our oven to 325 degrees.

Next, grease and flour a 9x9 or 8x8 baking dish and set aside.

Now onto the cake. Mix together your butter, sugar and egg until blended.

Then stream in your molasses.

See that stream on the right?

Once that's blended, and with your mixer on low, add the hot water and mix until combined.

Now, with your mixer still on low, add your flour, soda, salt and spices. Once they're incorporated, increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.

Pour the mixture (it will be thin) into prepared baking dish.

And bake for 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of your pan. I used an 8x8 and mine took about 45 minutes. The key is not to overbake, because that will make for a dry cake.

This is the perfect ending for a family dinner. Especially with a dollop of whipped cream.

Moist, spicy, perfect. And filled with happy memories.

What more could one ask for?

Except, perhaps, a gratuitous puppy picture.

Maddie's not content to sleep just anywhere. You'll always find her curled up next to someone.

Now it's your turn. What dessert, fall or otherwise, brings back happy memories for you?

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and kids. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com.

Gingerbread and Royal Icing

These two recipes are made to go together!

The gingerbread recipe makes soft, sweet, and spicy gingerbread cookies. And when you pair it with the royal icing, it's a match made in heaven. Or maybe in fairy-tale world.

My daughter made her annual batch of gingerbread cookies this week. Her recipe is from Martha Stewart, and it's fabulous. I didn't take pictures...I think I was taking a nap while she was baking.

Honey Gingerbread Cookies

ingredients:

5 1/2 cups flours
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (if you use salted butter, cut the salt back to 1 teaspoon)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar together in your mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the honey and molasses.

Using your mixer's low speed, add in the flour mixture gradually, beating just until the dough is combined.

Divide the dough into three portions, wrap each portion in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Roll out the dough and cut into shapes. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned at the edges.

Cool before decorating.


Royal Icing

This icing is the perfect match for these cookies. The pristine white icing against the brown cookies brings out the gingerbread goodness visually, and the light sweetness brings out the rich spicy flavor.

The easy way to make this icing is to use this:

No worries about using raw eggs, no fuss, and no muss.

Pair it with some confectioners, or powdered sugar, and you're all set.

ingredients (makes 3 cups icing):

3 Tablespoons Meringue powder
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tablespoons warm water (at our elevation, about 3500 feet, we use 7 Tablespoons water)

Beat all ingredients about 7-10 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.


To decorate the cookies, you can use decorating bags with tips, or you can use a plastic zip-lock bag with one corner snipped off.

I used the bag with the snipped corner until Carrie bought herself some decorating bags.

(Just another one of those things I'm going to have to buy for myself when she moves out!)

Another tip - get one of these glasses. I think it's called a Pilsner glass. It's the perfect size and shape to hold your decorating bag while you fill it with icing. :)

So now that the decorating bags are filled and the cookies are ready, it's time to grab a handy boyfriend and get to work.

Josh and Carrie look like they were having a good time, aren't they?

Wait until the icing is dry, and you have gingerbread perfection.

Enjoy your gingerbread and your Christmas week!

From my family to yours, may your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white!

Kav's Gingerbread Cookies

Missy, here. And I'm thrilled to share a post today from Kav. Y'all give her a big Yankee-Belle welcome!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Kav Rees

So, I posted a picture of my biggest Christmas kitchen triumph on Facebook and Missy asked me to share it here. But first I thought I’d give you a gander at my wee little house that’s falling apart.

Luckily you can’t notice all its flaws in this picture thanks to my garden. That’s at the early stages. Blissful sigh. I love my garden. Now it’s just piles of snow.

And here’s my tiny little kitchen complete with floor tile counters! Talk about step-saving design. I didn’t have to move an inch in order to access everything I needed to create today’s confection…

 Drum roll please….soft and chewy gingerbread cookies. I know, y’all are probably rolling your eyes at the simplicity of it all. Who can’t make gingerbread? Me for one! No matter what recipe I tried it always came out way too crispy. In fact, some of my attempts could have been used for hockey pucks. Even my dogs wouldn’t risk their canines on them! So when my daughter requested gingerbread cookies for part of our Christmas baking line up I cringed and promptly made her research a recipe so I could blame her for the epic fail sure to come. Only sweet success!!!!!!

 Soft Not Snappish Gingerbread Cookies

Butter (1/2 cup)

Dark Brown Sugar (3/4 cup)

Molasses (1/3 cup)

Egg (1)

Flour (2& 2/3 cup)

Ground Ginger (2 tsp)

Baking Soda (1 tsp)

Salt (1/2 tsp)

Ground cinnamon (1/2 tsp)

Nutmeg (1/2 tsp)

Alspice (1/2 tsp)

Ignore the white sugar. It snuck in there when I wasn’t looking. Such a ham!

I didn’t take pictures of the process but you cream butter and sugar really well. Add in molasses and egg. Mix the dry ingredients separately and then mix gradually with the butter/molasses mixture. You’ll have to use your hands when you add the last of the flour mixture and then knead the dough for bit. It feels really dry at first, but keep at it and pretty soon you’ll have a nice smooth ball of gingerbread dough.

Divide into two balls and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

(Funny side note here. My daughter copied this recipe down and she’s notorious for leaving things out. This time it looks like she left out a water measurement in the ingredient list because as I was copying out the directions I noticed it said to add water. LOL. Oops, no idea how much, but I’ve made it twice now and haven’t missed the water. Wondering if that’s what makes these so soft and chewy instead of crisp? Who knows?)

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough – I left it thicker than I would for sugar cookies because I like my gingerbread soft not snappish. Cut out cookies, place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet (or just use parchment paper which is what I do). Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. I undercook mine…so first couple of batches are 8 minutes but later ones are about 7 minutes because I’m all about the chew in my gingerbread.

I’m actually going to freeze these sweeties and decorate them closer to Valentine’s Day so the decorated pic at the top of this post is a picture of our Christmas cookies – decorated with a zip lock bag that had a hole cut out of a corner. Hoping to get a proper decorating set before I make these pretties into Valentine treats. I’ll pipe around them and add love scripture references in the centre. I used to do that when I taught Sunday School and made the students read the scripture before they could eat the cookie. Devious, eh?

****

Kav is a mystery – even to herself which maybe explains why she is so fond of romantic suspense.  After a lifetime of writing as a leisure pursuit, she is now setting her sights towards publication.

A passionate reader of inspirational fiction, Kav devours books and then blogs about them on her review blog http://www.bestreads-kav.blogspot.ca where she is fond of hosting giveaways as well. She is also part of a ten woman blogging team over at http://inkspirationalmessages.com/  

You can also find Kav on Facebook.

Starbucks Gingerbread Coffee plus Summer Jello Ideas

Hello, everybody! I'm baaaaaaaack with a post that is less "recipe" and more "life instructional". All of the goodies here today aren't anything difficult but boy-oh-boy can they make your life a little bit sweeter.

First of all, Starbucks gingerbread latte mix. My friend Mindy brought this over. She found the recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it out. (I love when my friends try out recipes and then bring me the results. I didn't even WORK for this!) 

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

(This is what we're trying to recreate. Can you smell it??)

So, you mix it all together in a large container. Large because it will start to rise a la those old volcano science fair projects!

 You can keep it on the counter, or in the fridge. It will separate, but just stir it back together. Add to a latte to make your very own home made Starbucks gingerbread latte! This weekend I was battle the WORLD'S WORST HEAD COLD. So, I was trying to stay hydrated, sipping hot drinks to soothe my throat and doing my best not to hack on anybody. I even tried a spoonful of this in steamed milk. Ohhhhhh, yummy. 

Passing along this sort of recipe gets you nice Christmas presents. Just sayin', my friends!

Now, usually I'm Sally Hawkins playing Anne Elliott in Persuasion (2007) but for the past month I've been working on a young adult project/ course with Franny Billingsley. I've had to put away my regency things and...

pretend I was high on a mountain top in Japan, surrounded by macaques. (That's me on the left. Looking tired.) You can watch these funny guys on a live web cam here. Seriously, click the link. It's a hoot. When I'm up late writing, I like to click on the live cam an watch the macaques hang out in their natural hot tub. (Who says writers are boring, eh??)

The Kuromon Gate of Mt. Atago, where my story is set. 

Anyway, that deadline was Monday and I felt the need to celebrate everything (I hope) I've learned.  Things like a believable plot, characters with hidden agendas (even from themselves) and world-building beyond a few houses or naming a state. 

 I really wanted to make some Mexican jello, like this tutorial in ourbestbites but didn't have an condensed milk or plain gelatin.

So, I decided to make something more like this. 

KIDDING.

 But I really did want to make some kind of jello treat so I decided to try something I saw on Pinterest. Cue the fail music, right? No, I was determined to make something pretty AND tasty.

 Now, I'm sure this post will have something that someone is allergic to, or is swearing off, or can't have right now. So, enjoy some fresh fruit while you read. Here, raspberries! They're not in season, though and taste a bit... bland.

 The blueberries are better. Not as good as the blueberries we get from the blueberry farm but these were close enough that we all started reminiscing about our time at the blueberry farm. WE CAN'T WAIT!!

 Strawberries. Freshly washed, ready to be chopped. The little guys were eating them out of hand, but I convinced them to save a few.

 Ok, the first Pinterest recipe had strawberries, blueberries and whipped topping in a pretty little display. I tried it. This is what I got. On of my kids said it looked like a fruit crab with eye stalks. Hmmm... Now it's looking at me.

 Ana was afraid all the fruit would be used in something that would be, in the en, inedible, so she tossed some in a bowl. The blackberries were just sweet enough that we decided we MUST make an effort this year to pick enough to freeze. We always say we will, but then it's 105F and nobody wants to stand out in the hot son, fighting off the wasps, and pricking their fingers.

 I tried another recipe I saw on Pinterest. Blue jello, red strawberries. Looks okay.

 I let it sit for a while. And then I added red jello.

 Ok, apparently it wasn't set enough. I decided that was another "fail". Nobody even wanted to eat it. Out it went.

 Third time's the charm!! Blue jello in jam jars and THIS TIME I waited an hour or two for them to set. (See? That's why the post is late. I has nothing to do with the fact I forgot I was here in the cafe today. :)

 After it's set (like, really, really set) cover with whipped topping and put strawberries or raspberries on top.

You can even turn them sideways and pretend it's for Bastille Day! 

No? Oh, okay...

I hope you find something to give your day a little bit of fun this week and let me know if you've found a great, fool-proof recipe lately!

Holiday S'mores and best ginger cookie recipe ever!

Twas two weeks til Christmas and all through the house, Christmas carnage reigned as decorations were unpacked.

My angel is totally appalled at the sight of Clyde the bison's head and my MIL's angel's head breaking off.

There was a fight in the kitchen between Martha Stewart and Julia Child, each trying to outdo the other. Baking and candy making stuff on the counters. Christmas tinsel and glass balls and glue guns on the table. Needless to say, it got pretty heated as evidenced below:

Martha threw a gold ball ornament in Julia's white chocolate. Julia threw white chocolate back. Chaos!

And then I was wrapping presents and discovered I had one less present for one of the grandchildren. Well, that just wouldn't do. So back into the shopping fray I had to go. 

Question of the Moment: Does anyone else think on-line shopping is a blessing when you really don't want to fight the traffic at the mall? 

Just as I had recovered, my birthday appeared. Gotta stop and celebrate the day you're born. I love my friends who don't give me combined Christmas and birthday presents but separate the day. My friend Renee sent me a lovely floral birthday cake I wasn't allergic to!

AND it was baking my ginger cookie tradition time. I love baking these around my birthday because these cookies are SO special, I don't even miss birthday cake. But I got it in my head, after mulling my vegan marshmallow post, that I needed to fancy them up by making s'mores. Pinterest was a big help. Yes, entire boards are dedicated to the treat.

Hmmmmm. What to do? I didn't like my daughter's suggestion of Nutella, even though I am a Nutella fan. I don't like chocolate in my pumpkin pie, pecan pie or gingerbread. I made my cookies (see recipe below), topping one with my daughter's homemade apple butter and melted caramels and the other with melted white chocolate with a sprinkle of dried cranberries and pistachios. Top both with broiled marshmallows and another cookie. And it is a dessert worthy of special occasion like birthdays and daughter's boyfriend coming for dinner. 

The granddaughter told me these are "tasty." Where does a three year old learn the word "tasty"?

Gluten-free Ginger Cookies

Note: I've adapted this recipe over time, basically using what I have on hand. The texture is more crisp and melt-in-your mouth than it is bready like some gingerbread recipes. Store the cookies in the refrigerator until ready to assemble in order to make them easier to handle. Also store in the fridge until ready to eat.

2 and 1/4 cups Pamela's or other gluten free baking mix.
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (you may wish to add less. Cloves are pretty powerful.)

3/4  cup brown or turbanido sugar, plus extra to roll cookies in
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses    

1) Blend all dry ingredients in a bowl except sugar.

2) Mix softened butter and sugar in separate bowl.

3) Add egg and molasses to butter/sugar mixture and blend well.

4) Slowly fold in the dry ingredients and then use the hand mixer only to make sure things are thoroughly blended. This batter is not as stiff so a hand mixer should be able to handle it.  Make sure you blend thoroughly.

5) Refrigerate for at least one hour but no more than two hours in covered bowl. 

6) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375.

7) Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.

8) Using a small cookie scoop, scoop up dough and roll each scoop into a ball.  Put remaining dough back in refrigerator until ready to use.

9) Roll each ball in a bowl of sugar.  Place on parchment covered cookie sheet.

10) Smoosh each ball gently with the bottom of a glass to make a circle. Just press enough to flatten.

11) Place in middle rack of oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Make sure you watch the first time to gauge the temp of your oven.

12) Remove from oven and let and sit for two to five minutes, then slide entire parchment sheet over cooling rack and let cool until firm. Do not try to lift with spatula.

13) When cookies are totally cooled, place in airtight container, layer cookies with wax paper. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

S'more Creation: Let your own imagination go wild but here is what I did. You may also want to use whipped cream cheese for a less sweet taste as in the third recipe below.

White Chocolate Christmas version: Melt white chocolate chips in double boiler to keep things melted and workable. Spread a spoonful of white chocolate on cold cookie, sprinkle with dried cranberries and pistachios. Top with a melted marshmallow or marshmallow fluff and then with another cookie.

Apple Butter Caramel:  Melt caramels in microwave at 50% power until melted. Spread a spoonful on a cold cookie. Top with a spoonful of apple butter. Add marshmallow and top with a cookie.

Candied ginger Cream Cheese: Spread whipped cream cheese on cookie and sprinkle with chopped candied ginger. Add marshmallow and another cookie!

Note: You can also make the smores the day before and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Let sit out for at least 15 minutes. I serve mine in halves and quarters so everyone can try the different flavors.

So, do you have a favorite holiday cookie you could use as the cookie base of a s'more or ice cream sandwich?

Haddon Hall Gingerbread

BLAME MIA!!!!!

Mia came up with the idea of equating writing stories with Gingerbread Houses and I (quick to recognize brilliance when I see it!) jumped on board....

But I don't do gingerbread houses per se... I do cake houses, and we'll blog about that sometime soon, but I do love gingerbread.

And molasses cookies.

So this old-time recipe works for me!  Here's a picture of it as it is in my 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook:

Don't you just love the pictures?????

Cookbooks should always have great pics. I'm just sayin'....

And here's a close-up:

This old-style gingerbread was made famous in the 1870's... can you believe that? And it was called the Fort Atkinson Gingerbread in the original "Gold Medal Cookbook", a precursor to our current Betty Crocker editions...

How stinkin' cool is that?

So here's the recipe courtesy of Gold Medal, Betty Crocker and my mother's old cookbook! (Mine is actually a reprint edition, I'm so glad they did that!)

Mix together thoroughly:

1/2 cup soft shortening
2 TBSP. sugar
1 egg

Blend in:

1 cup Dark Molasses
1 cup boiling water

Sift together and stir in (beating until smooth):

2 1/4 cups sifted Gold Medal flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon

Pour into greased and floured 9" square pan. Bake. Cut into 3" squares in pan. Keep hot and serve hot with sweetened whipped cream, applesauce, chocolate sauce or any of the toppings below. (I'm only showing you the lemon Haddon Hall version here because I'm tired... But choir practice was WONDERFUL tonight!!!)

Lemon sauce for Haddon Hall gingerbread:

Fluffy Lemon Sauce

Mix together in saucepan:
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBSP. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. nutmeg  (just a pinch!)  :)

Stir in gradually:

1 Cup boiling water

Boil one minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in:
1 Tablespoon butter
4 TBSP. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon rind

Gradually mix into:

1 egg, well beaten.

Now if you've ever made lemon meringue pie, this is pretty darn close to the same recipe and structure except for the nutmeg.... You can add the rind or not, it's good either way. If I have fresh lemon I use it. Dried lemon has too much "chaw" in it and I don't like the texture in a smooth sauce like this....

Basically, you're pouring (ladeling) lemon pie filling over homemade gingerbread... so GOOD!!!

But, wait..... The original version calls for this, too!:

Soften white cream cheese (is there another color? Was there ever?????) with a little cream. Beat until fluffy. Split each serving of hot gingerbread and spread with this cheese mixture. Replace top layer and spread more cheese mixture on top layer. Then ladle lemon sauce over it.

I haven't made this in a while. Now I've got the urge to do it and I blame that Mia Ross character... if she hadn't come up with gingerbread themed Seekerville, I'd be happy with a Little Debbie snack cake.

Well.

Since they're here and the gingerbread isn't....

This will do for now!  :)