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gingerbread (house or men)

(2 ratings)
thebiscottigirl avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Laura Spencer-Whitacre
@thebiscottigirl
Fort Mohave, AZ

When I had my bakery going I made gingerbread houses for everybody I knew, lol. Today it's the little guys.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

A fantastic addition to your Christmas cookie tray! These gingerbread cookies are soft with a wonderful molasses and spice flavor. They're slightly sweet with just the perfect amount of holiday spices. While they're baking, the whole house smells like Christmas. The dough is very easy to work with and the cookies are fun to make.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(2 ratings)
yield serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 10 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For gingerbread (house or men)

  • 5 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp
    baking soda
  • 1 tsp
    ginger
  • 2 tsp
    cinnamon
  • 1 tsp
    nutmeg
  • 1 tsp
    cloves
  • 1 c
    vegetable shortening
  • 1 1/2 c
    molasses
  • 2 lg
    eggs, beaten
  • 1 c
    sugar

How To Make gingerbread (house or men)

Test Kitchen Tips
If making a gingerbread house, we'd roll out the dough to 1/4 inch. Bake the pieces at 350 for 15-17 minutes. Let the pieces dry overnight, glue together with royal icing, and enjoy decorating!
  • Mixing dry ingredients in a bowl.
    1
    Mix flour, soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
  • Melting shortening in a pan.
    2
    Melt shortening in large saucepan.
  • Adding sugar to melted shortening.
    3
    Add sugar, molasses, and eggs. Mix well and cool slightly.
  • Adding dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
    4
    Add 4 cups dry ingredients and mix well.
  • Turning dough onto a floured surface.
    5
    Turn mixture onto a lightly flowered surface.
  • Kneading dough together.
    6
    Knead remaining dry ingredients by hand; can use 1/2 cup more flour if needed.
  • Rolling out dough.
    7
    Roll dough 1/8th inch thick.
  • Cutting shapes out of dough.
    8
    Cut out pieces with cutters or sharp knife.
  • Cookies on a greased cookie sheet.
    9
    Place on greased cookie sheets and bake at 375* for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Cookies cooling on a tray.
    10
    Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then remove to cool.
  • 11
    If cutting out gingerbread house pieces shape after baking while still hot. Garnish with everything you can find that's fun. Royal icing for the snow and trees works great. Have fun! xoxoxox
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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