Christmas is a great time of year for all you ginger lovers, and, as I always say, if you don’t like ginger, what’s wrong with you? Here are two great gingerbread recipes for this festive season.
Simple Seasonal Gingerbread Men
This will make a batch of approximately 30 gingerbread men. It’s an incredible simple recipe, so it’s a fun one to do with the kids!
Ingredients:
- 1 pack of butterscotch pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of softened butter or margarine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 egg
Method:
- Place the butterscotch pudding mix, butter and brown sugar in a bowl and cream these three ingredients.
- Stir in the egg and then add the flour, ginger, cinnamon and baking soda – mix thoroughly. Next, cover the bowl and place in the fridge for about an hour.
- Once the mixture has been chilled, preheat your oven to approximately 350°F (175°C) and grease your baking sheets.
- Flour the surface you’re going to use to roll out your gingerbread man dough and roll until it is approximately 1/8 inch thick.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut your man shapes and place them on the baking sheets – leave a gap of about 2 inches between each one.
- Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool before decorating with festive icing.
Weihnachten Gingerbread (German-Style Christmas Gingerbread)
This is somewhat different from the usual American gingerbread and can make a very tasty change. It’s also relatively easy to make and will leave the kitchen smelling wonderful while it’s baking!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of brown sugar
- 1 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup of softened butter or margarine
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1 cup of raisins
- 1 cup of blanched sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- 2/3 cup of honey
- 1/4 cup of Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
- 4 teaspoons of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of ground ginger (if you’re a real ginger fan, you might want to try adding a little more)
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 3 eggs
Method:
- Place both types of flour, baking powder and all spices into a bowl and mix.
- In another bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Next, add the eggs to this wet mixture and beat.
- Then, add the sour cream, honey, orange juice and liqueur to the wet mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Now, fold the flour mix into the wet ingredients, then beat.
- Finally, add the raisins and almonds, before placing the mixture into a greased tube pan. If you haven’t got a tube pan, an ordinary cake tin will do.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and prick occasionally with a toothpick or fork to test.
Either of these delicious, sweet treats are certain to be a big hit with ginger lovers. The only problem you might have is keeping your hands off these tasty morsels, but what the heck? It’s Christmas!
