Back when I first got married, my mother-in-law gave me a bunch of family recipes. At the time, I was a bit miffed: as IF I couldn’t cook well enough to keep my husband happy. And anyway, what’s with this outdated 1950s notion that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? (I later found out that this is actually true…although his stomach is usually the second choice of routes to his heart, if you ask the men *wink*)
Anyway, a few years later and I was grateful to be able to pull out some tried-and-true recipes, especially after I had tasted some of them: especially this recipe for Gingerbread Men.
Now, gingerbread men are a great holiday favourite in many homes, but I grew up making mostly shortbread and sugar cookies (both great holiday cookies in their own rights, it must be said), so I didn’t have a traditional gingerbread recipe to use when I wanted to make them with my kids. So out came MIL’s gingerbread recipe, and I’ve been using faithfully for the last six holiday seasons.
But let me tell you…after the first time, I only made them because I was asked to make them (by husband, kids, friends). You see, they’re actually kinda hard to make. The recipe requires a lot of elbow grease, and I got a bit tired of wearing myself out making the dough, only to have to pull it out of the fridge a few hours later and roll, roll, roll it for the cookie-cutter gang (that would be my kids). So this year, I decided to adapt the recipe for my fabulous Cuisinart food processor, instead of using the old biceps-and-wooden-spoon method.
And the result? WOW! Now the dough can be whipped up effortlessly, so you can save your strength for the rolling! So, as a treat to all you wanna-be-gingerbread-bakers out there, here’s the traditional family gingerbread recipe (oh, and don’t tell my MIL, just in case it was supposed to be a secret family recipe!)
Family Favourite Gingerbread
2c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c butter
1 c sugar
1 egg
1/4 c molasses
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt & spices & set aside.
Actually, if you have a food processor, all you have to do is put the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl with the metal blade, then process for 20-30 seconds, until well mixed. This saves time, effort and washing a sieve!
Here’s a shot of the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, then one of my assistant blending them.
One thing about Cuisinart’s food processor – it’s very simple to operate (not to mention safe) so small kids can help – and they love to!
Cream butter; add sugar gradually & cream thoroughly.
Add egg & beat well.
Add molasses, mixing well.
Hint: coat your measuring cup in oil first & molasses are soooo easy to pour!
Add all dry ingredients.
Here’s the best part – the dough blends perfectly, with no effort on your part! Normally this is a very stiff dough, and mixing in the dry ingredients was sure to yield an aching shoulder. Not any more!
Refrigerate dough, then cut with a cookie cutter.
Bake 10-12 mins.
Well, I can’t show you the baked cookies (we’re doing snowflake shapes this year) because the dough is still refrigerating. You really do want it to go quite stiff before rolling and cutting, so several hours (or even overnight) is recommended. Be sure to wrap it well. Enjoy!
Well, I hope you enjoy this delicious gingerbread recipe. I tend to roll them out thicker (1 cm) and bake not quite 10 mins, but we like them soft ‘n chewy in this house. Experiment with it yourself, and let me know what you think in comments, below.
Got a great recipe to share? Post it below in comments or send it to Elizabeth at kitchenparty@urbanmoms.ca