3 Christmas Gingerbread Recipes That Will Make Your Taste Buds Soar
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Making gingerbread cookies and houses is one of the most time-honored Christmas traditions for many families. Luckily, gingerbread is an easy dessert to make as well. Keep reading for three fantastic gingerbread recipes to bring some childhood nostalgia to your home.
Old-fashioned gingerbread cake
While the gingerbread many people know and love typically comes in the form of gingerbread cookies, moist gingerbread cake is another equally delicious dessert. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and greasing and flouring a 9-inch square baking pan. Beat half a cup of softened unsalted butter in a mixer until it’s creamy, then mix in ½ cup of white sugar, 1 large egg, and 1 cup of molasses.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and ground ginger, and ½ teaspoon each of ground cloves and salt. Slowly add this mixture to the molasses mixture, then mix in water until smooth. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan, then bake for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Traditional Swedish pepparkakor “gingerbread”
Where did the holiday tradition of making gingerbread come from? One possible origin is from a traditional Scandinavian spiced cookie called “pepparkakor.” These cookies taste similar to gingerbread but are lighter and crispier like a cracker. Here’s a recipe for old-fashioned Swedish pepparkakor cookies. They work great for gingerbread houses as well!
Start by bringing ½ cup of milk, ½ cup of honey, and ¾ cup of sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. In a mixing bowl, combine 9 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter, 1 ½ tsp of ground cloves, 1 ½ tsp of ground cardamom, 3 tsp of ground cinnamon, and 1 ½ tsp ground ginger. Pour the warm honey syrup mixture over the bowl and mix everything until combined.
Sift together 1 tsp of salt, 4 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, and 1 ½ tsp baking soda, then add it to the first mixing bowl and mix everything together until evenly incorporated. After cooling in the fridge overnight, shape the dough into a flat sheet and cut shapes with cookie cutters or a knife. Finally, bake the cookies on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for ten minutes.
Soft gingerbread cookies
This list couldn’t be complete without a recipe for classic gingerbread cookies, ideal for making gingerbread people or gingerbread houses. Start by whisking together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons each of ground cinnamon and ground ginger, 1 teaspoon each of ground cloves and baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. With a mixer, mix ⅔ cup of canola oil, ¼ cup of blackstrap molasses, and 1 cup of dark brown sugar. One at a time, mix in two eggs.
Slowly stir your flour mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Mix in extra flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Roll the dough out into a ¼-inch thick sheet and cut it out. Finally, bake the cookies in a 350°F oven for 8 minutes.