December 6, 2012

gingerbread cookies, old recipe, new designs

Gingerbread cookies! I just love 'em! My favorite recipe for gingerbread cut-out cookies came from my Home Economics/Cooking teacher, Mrs. Johns, my senior year of high school, 1988.  She made us keep a recipe box all semester. We students would grunt a little, what with the constant copying of recipes from the board. But, I have kept that box, and cherished that box, almost weekly, if not daily, for the past 24 years. I remember, each class, we'd add to it daily. Some recipes Mrs. Johns gave us...some recipes were from other students...some were of dishes we prepared during class. One I'll never forget...Steak in a Bag, cooked in the microwave. We actually cooked a steak, in a brown paper grocery bag, in the microwave. I kid you not! Truth is...it was down right delicious and very tender! I still have that recipe tucked away in that box...and I am never ever gettin' rid of it...or any other recipe in that box...especially the recipe for gingerbread cookies!
Well, you can't make gingerbread cookies without molasses. Here's the brand I use. 
Brer Rabbit Molasses. Don't you just love the vintage art work on this bottle?
It is simple, classic and beautiful.


Ok, let's get to the cookie designs! I could not resist making a gingerbread Yeti. You know, the Abominable  Snow Monster that lives in the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal. I guess you might say he is Sasquatch's snowy cousin. LOL! I just love the folklore behind Sasquatch and Yeti. It's just too fun! Don't forget the ever famous clay-mation, Abominable Snow Monster character from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

Boo!



Beautiful snowflakes...holiday colored Sixlets chocolate candies in the middle. 





Gingerbread Cookie Cut-outs

1 1/2 cups dark molasses
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup cold water
1/3 cup shortening
7 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix molasses, brown sugar, water and shortening with electric mixer. Beat in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate dough until chilled. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake 10 minutes. Cool and decorate with any basic decorator frosting and sugar.
Enjoy!

6 comments:

  1. I made the cake version of gingerbread which was a real flop (see my blog). I am going to try it again with a different recipe. I love your cookies. What kind of sugar did you use to decorate? Your yeti are too funny. So cute.

    I use Brer Rabbit molasses too. That's the brand my great-grandmother always used. I couldn't find it last time I was buying molasses so got Grandma's. That's a good brand too.

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  2. They're so beautiful! I never would have thought to make them snowy with sugar.

    We made gingerbread sugar cookies yesterday. No molasses though, so they're not true gingerbread.

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  3. What a great idea, using sanding sugar as ice crystals.

    We made gingerbread sugar cookies yesterday. Not true gingerbread, since they didn't call for molasses. The recipe was in the back of one of my son's books.

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  4. I love molasses cookies! My mom, sister and I (and our girls) are having a cookie baking day tomorrow. I still need one kind to make...hmmmm.... :)

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