Gingerbread People Recipe

by Seven 12 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Seven

  Hey waiting or anyone who'd like to try a good recipe for Ginger People.

  GINGERBREAD PEOPLE

  (Old German Recipe)

  1/2 cup shortening

  2 1/2 cups flour

  1/2 sugar

  1/2 cup molasses

  1 egg

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon ground ginger

  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

  1 .In a large mixing bowl beat shortening on medium to high about 30 seconds or until softened.

  2 .Add half of the flour to the shortening. Add the sugar, molasses, egg, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

  3. Beat until thoroughly combined.

  4 Beat or stir in the remaining flour.

  5. Divide the dough in half

  6. Cover the dough and chill at least 4 hrs. I allow it chill twice that. It makes it easier to handle.

  7. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thick (I use 1/4)

  8. Cut the dough using gingerbread people cutters

  9. Place on greased cookie sheet an inch or 2 apart

  10. Bake in 375 degree oven for 5 to 6 minutes until the edges are firm. Watch them closely... burned ginger people suck!!!

  11. Take them out of the oven and let set a minute or two before removing them to cool. I skip the wire racks and line them up on paper towels on the kitchen table.

  12. Decorate.

  13. These have a great texture to them and will keep for weeks.
  
  * You can use cutters of various shapes and sizes. These are yummy!
  
  
  Seven
  
  
  
• 

  Beans

  Ah sehr gute! Thanks for the receipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
• 

  Lady Lee

  For those who use the metric system

  Gingerbread People (Old German Recipe)

  ½ c	shortening	125 ml
  2 ½ c	flour	625 ml
  ½ c	sugar	125 ml
  ½ c	molasses	125 ml
  1	egg	1
  1 tsp	baking soda	5 ml
  1 tsp	ground ginger	5 ml
  ½ tsp	ground cinnamon	2 ml
  ½ tsp	ground cloves	2 ml
  In a large mixing bowl beat shortening on medium to high about 30 seconds or until softened. Add half of the flour to the shortening. Add the sugar, molasses, egg, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat or stir in the remaining flour. Divide the dough in half.
  Cover the dough and chill at least 4 hrs. I allow it chill twice that. It makes it easier to handle. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 or ¼"/0.3-0.5 cm thick (I use ¼"/0.5 cm) Cut the dough using gingerbread people cutters. Place on greased cookie sheet 1- 2"/3-5 cm apart. Bake in 375 o F/200 o C oven for 5 to 6 minutes until the edges are firm. Watch them closely... burned ginger people suck!!! Take them out of the oven and let set a minute or two before removing them to cool. I skip the wire racks and line them up on paper towels on the kitchen table. Decorate. These have a great texture to them and will keep for weeks. * You can use cutters of various shapes and sizes. These are yummy!
• 

  Seven

  You're welcome Beans!

  If you have any recipe books belonging to your Großmutter check for a Stollen recipe and kindly share it if it's not too much trouble. When it comes to holiday goodies the Germans have the best imo, with Stollen, Pfeffernuesse and Gingerbread Men!!

  Lee,

  Thank you very much. It was thoughtful of you to add the conversions. I didn't get this recipe in on time for the cookbook.
• 

  Lady Lee

  I found this Stollen recipe

  Christmas Stollen

  1 1/8 lb	flour	555 g
  7 oz	sugar	200 g
  1 pinch	salt	0.3 ml
  1 tsp	vanilla	5 ml
  1 tsp	lemon juice	5 ml
  4 tbsp	rum	60 ml
  1 pinch	cardomom (generous)	0.3 ml
  1 pinch	mace (generous)	0.3 ml
  2	eggs	2
  4 ½ oz	butter	130 g
  4 ½ oz	currants well drained	130 g
  9 oz	sultanas	290 g
  9 oz	almonds, finely chopped	290 g
  3 ½ oz	candied lemon peel	100 g
  1 ¾ oz	butter for brushing	40 g
  2 tbsp	powdered sugar for dusting	30 ml
  1 ¾ oz	beef drippings	40 g
  9 oz	cottage cheese, well drained	290 g
  Mix and sieve together the flour and baking powder onto a pastry board or cool slab. Make a well in the center and pour in the sugar, vanilla, rum, lemon juice, and the eggs. Draw in some flour from the sides of the well to mix with these and form a thick paste. Add the cold butter, cut into small pieces, the finely chopped beef drippings, cottage cheese, currants, sultanas, nuts and candied peel. Cover the fruits with more of the flour, and then starting from the middle, work all of it together quickly with your hands into a firm, smooth paste. If it should stick, add a little more flour. Form the mix into a long, oval shape, and then fold it over lengthwise to give it the traditional "stollen" shape. Line a baking dish with greased waxed paper and place the stollen on this. Preheat oven for 5 minutes at 500 o F/260 o C then turn oven down to 375 0 F/200 o C. Then bake for 50-60 minutes. As soon as the stollen comes out of the oven, brush with melted butter and dust thickly with powdered sugar.
• 

  morty

  Thanks for sharing those recipes.....I wili try the ginger bread one for sure....Our tradtion for x-mas is making cookies while putting up the tree, then eating those cookies x-mas eve....Of course we have a cookie for Santa.

  Morty
• 

  Lady Lee

  and

  Pfeffernuesse

  These are spicy German cookies. This recipe makes a huge batch, which is wonderful for gift giving with plenty left. These travel and mail well.

  8 oz	candied citron	260 g
  4 oz	candied orange peel	125 g
  4 c	sifted all-purpose flour	1000 ml
  1 tbsp	ground cinnamon	15 ml
  1 tbsp	ground cardamom	15 ml
  1 tsp	ground cloves	5 ml
  1 tsp	ground nutmeg	5 ml
  1 tsp	baking soda	5 ml
  1/2 tsp	ground black pepper	2 ml
  1 tsp	aniseeds	5 ml
  5	eggs, separated	5
  2 tbsp	butter (at room temperature)	30 ml
  1 ½ tsp	grated lemon peel	7 ml
  2 ½ c	granulated sugar	625 ml
  1 ½ c	confectioners? sugar	375 ml
  2 - 3 tbsp	milk	30-45 ml
  	Additional confectioners? sugar
  Coarsely grind citron and orange peel with grinder fitted with coarse blade; set aside. Sift flour with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and pepper. sprinkle anise seeds over flour mixture. Set aside. In large mixing bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat egg yolks with butter and lemon peel until smooth. Reduce speed to low and beat in granulated sugar. Set aside. Beat egg whites in clean mixer bowl with electric mixer or by hand until stiff peaks form. On low speed of electric mixer, gently fold reserved egg yolk mixture into beaten egg whites. Blend in reserved flour mixture, using your hands. Blend in reserved coarsely ground candied citron and orange peel. Shape dough into balls the size of a small walnut; place balls, 1"/2.5 cm apart, on ungreased baking sheets. Let stand, uncovered, 8 hours, or overnight. Bake in a preheated 350 o F/175 o C oven for 15 minutes or until double in size and lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets and let cool to room temperature. Mix confectioners' sugar with enough milk to form a thin glaze; drizzle glaze over cookies. If desired, after glaze has hardened, shake cookies gently in paper bag containing additional confectioners' sugar.
• 

  Seven

  Thanks for the Stollen recipe Lee!! I knew I could count on you.

  My pfeffernuesse recipe calls for rolling the dough into long ropes and cutting them into one inch pieces. Either way they're yummy!!
  
  
  
• 

  Emma

  Does anyone have a good recipe for sugar cookies? I'm looking for the kind you roll out and cut with cookie cutter shapes.

  Our tradition is to go out for Chinese food at lunch, buy the tree, and then eat lots of Christmas cookies and hot chocolate after we get it in the stand. Yum!

  Emma
• 

  Seven

  

  Hey Emma,

  These are easy and not too sweet.

  
  

  Christmas Cutouts

  Ingredients:

  1 cup of shortening

  1 cup of confectioners sugar

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  2 eggs

  2 3/4 cup flour

  3 teaspoons baking powder

  2 Tablespoons of milk

  1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Cream sugar and shortening. Next add the eggs and dry ingredients. Add the milk last.

  3. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out using your favorite cutters.

  4. Bake for 10-12 minutes. ( Credit for recipe goes to Heather Newcomer)

  Seven