Gingerbread
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Put A Little "Spice" In Your Holidays
Step into my kitchen as I introduce you to a few of our favorite gingerbread crafts and recipes. We'll also learn a little about the fascinating history of this versatile food. I'll even share my family's special recipe for speculaas, a Dutch version of gingerbread. Come in and make yourself at home!
Gingerbread Cookies
My children make gingerbread cookies by themselves each Christmas. While the rest of the Christmas baking is done as a group under my supervision, this is one time I am "forbidden" from participating. They like the fact that these are something they made without any help and enjoy handing them out to all their friends. It has become their own special tradition.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- pinch salt
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
Cream together first 6 ingredients. Add egg, mix. Add molasses, mix again. Mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl. Sift. Add to the creamed mixture and stir until well blended. Chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out dough 1/4 at a time to 1/8" thickness or slightly thicker on a lightly floured board. Cut with a cookie cutter and transfer to a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Place in oven for 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Decorate.
Wilton Gingerbread Boy Comfort Grip Cookie Cutter
Amazon Price: $1.25 (as of 02/16/2012)
Wilton's comfort grip cutters are nice for kids to use because they don't have to press on a sharp edge. This particular one makes a really cute shaped gingerbread man.
Gingerbread
- Serves: 12
This cake-like gingerbread is made using an old family recipe. My mom sometimes got up early to bake it for our breakfast, and I do the same for my children. It's a wonderful way to wake up in the morning!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 beaten egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Instructions
Cream shortening and sugar. Add beaten egg, molasses, and honey. Sift together dry ingredients. Add boiling water and flour mixture alternately to egg mixture. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9 X 12- inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Best served warm.
Bob's Red Mill Cake Mix, Gingerbread, 18-Ounce Units (Pack of 4)
Amazon Price: (as of 02/16/2012)
Enjoy a fresh batch of gingerbread even when you're short on time! I haven't tried this particular product, but I've used many other Bob's Redmill products and they've all been high quality and delicious.
In addition to the many "gingerbread" recipes that have been handed down in our family, I've also accumulated several gingerbread man ornaments. My favorite is this cute little guy which I made out of felt.My mom had a whole set of homemade felt ornaments which she hung on our tree each Christmas. These were such a special part of my childhood that I decided to make my own set. The original patterns had been lost, so I recreated them using tracing paper.
For this craft you will need:
* a copy of the pattern
* brown, black, pink and red felt
* scraps of white rick rack
* small piece of thin red rick rack
* string or embroidery floss
* a large needle
* glue
* scissors
Cut out the pieces of the patterns and lay them on the felt. Carefully trace around them and cut out the pieces. Apply an even coat of glue to the back of the first body piece. (Try not to use too much glue as it will leak through and show up on the front of your ornament.) Match the second body piece up to it and press the two pieces together. Cut pieces of rick rack and glue in place. Glue the remaining felt pieces in place using the picture as a guide. Allow the ornament to dry completely. Use the needle to attach a string through the top of the ornament. Tie into a loop for hanging.
Gingerbread Cocoa
- Serves: about 32
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
This recipe combines hot chocolate and gingerbread, two of my favorite wintertime comfort foods! Several years ago we filled canning jars with this mix and gave them as Christmas gifts.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry milk powder
- 2 cups non-dairy coffee creamer
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 large package chocolate pudding mix (not instant)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon ginger
Instructions
Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Store in a closed container in a cool dry place. Add 1/4 cup to an 8 ounce mug of boiling water. Stir and serve.
“Had I but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it for gingerbread. -William Shakespeare”
The History of Gingerbread
If you do a search on the internet, you will come across dozens of sites telling the history of gingerbread and almost all of them say exactly the same thing, word for word. I'm not going to bother duplicating them here, but I'd encourage to check them out on your own. It's fascinating stuff and worth reading at least once. Here are some sites which provide a different take on the subject.- Through the Ages with Gingerbread
- This site provides a small sample of recipes from over the centuries which show the development of gingerbread through time.
- The History of Gingerbread
- Historical and geographical information about gingerbread.
- The Gingerbread Tradition
- An article from The Journal of Antiques and Collectables
- Medieval Gingerbread
- History and recipe for creating your own Medieval gingerbread. "Children also love to create their own designs with this playdough-like edible, and for a school or home project, they can be put in charge of molding the gingerbread into a variety of objects. "
The Gingerbread Man
Gingerbread In Literature
Gingerbread Baby
Amazon Price: $5.55 (as of 02/16/2012)
You can find an adorable Gingerbread Baby lapbook for FREE at Homeschool Share. It includes a minibook for recording the history of gingerbread.
You can also listen to a more traditional version of the gingerbread man story at StoryNory, or rap along with the Rappin' Gingerbread Man song at Free Kids Music.
More Gingerbread Printables
- Gingerbread Kids Ornaments
- Cute Christmas gingerbread boys and gingerbread girls cutout ornaments on printable sheets, 6 decorations per page.
- Gingerbread Baby Masks
- You can print these masks and use them for a play. This is a great project to use with the book The Gingerbread Baby.
- Gingerbread Buttons
- File Folder Game from Preschool Printables.
- Snowman & Gingerbread Man Patterns
- Kids will love this snowman & gingerbread man pattern printable that can be traced or copied. Find tons of printable holiday templates at FamilyFun.
- The Gingerbread Man Puppets
- Free printable templates for The Gingerbread Man felt board characters or puppets
Speculaas
These are a Dutch form of "gingerbread" cookies. Often the dough is pressed into intricately carved cookie boards to shape the cookies before baking. Many times they are made to look like Saint Nicholas or windmills, so you can often find these cookies being called "Sinter Klaas cookies" or "windmill cookies."
For a while, my grandparents lived near a bakery that made these cookies. Before moving, my grandma convinced the owner to give her the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup condensed milk
- 1 cup brown sugar
- packed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup lard (no substitutions)
- 1 egg
- 4 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup silvered almonds
Instructions
Place the baking soda in the condensed milk. In a large bowl, cream sugars, lard, and butter. Beat in egg and evaporated milk. Add almonds. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into mixture. Mix well, shape into long 2-inch logs and wrap in waxed paper. Freeze overnight. Slice thin and place on cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Dough may also be shaped into letters before baking.
De Ruiter Dutch Speculaas Cookies
Amazon Price: $2.99 (as of 02/16/2012)
These speculaas are so good they're almost addictive! OK, I confess, I even like them better than the homemade version. I always buy several packages so there are plenty to go around. These are one of my favorite kinds of cookies.
Hansel and Grettel
More Gingerbread In Literature
How can we talk about gingerbread without mentioning Hansel and Grettel? When I was little, this story was my absolute favorite. I listened to my Hansel and Grettel record over and over, much to my older sister's dismay.Head on over to StoryNory where you can introduce your children to this classic as well. Perhaps you can try creating your own gingerbread house as you listen to the story.
German Folk Costumes
Gingerbread Houses
- Childrens' Gingerbread House
- allrecipes.com
- Gingerbread Workshop
- StarChefs
- Building A Gingerbread House
- King Arthur Flour
Gingerbread Playdough (NOT EDIBLE)
- Serves: for a fun afternoon
Yes, it's true. There is a playdough ban in effect at our house. But if you must play with playdough, this version certainly smells better than the store bought variety!
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups flour
- 2 cups salt
- 8 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup oil
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 4 cups water
Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients together. Cook and stir over medium heat until all the lumps disappear. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth. Store in an airtight container.
Visit the Online Christmas Party for More Holiday Fun!
The Lilliput Station Online Christmas Party is a blog meme hosted by Melissa Telling of Lilliput Station Adventures. It is a way for homeschoolers all over the world to get together and share some Christmas spirit. It is a place to gather new ideas, new recipes, and maybe a few new traditions. It is a time of fellowship and fun, a time to share the love of Christ with all of our online friends. It is our way of making the season a little brighter for those we have never met, but still feel as if we know.
Thanks for stopping by. Please sign my guestbook before you go!
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JoyfulPamela
Dec 9, 2010 @ 7:07 pm | delete
- I want to try the cocoa! Yum!
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charlino
Nov 27, 2010 @ 11:21 pm | delete
- Here's to gingerbread!
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stargazer00
Dec 4, 2009 @ 11:55 pm | delete
- Love your gingerbread lens. Blessed!
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Mortira
Dec 6, 2008 @ 11:43 am | delete
- Wonderful lens! Thank you for all of the great recipes. I'll be linking here from my Christmas gift baskets lens!
5 stars!
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tdove
Nov 15, 2008 @ 1:07 pm | delete
- Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!
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by LilliputStation
Homeschooling mother of nine: ages 8 months-16 years. We love notebooking, lapbooking, unit studies, and hands-on education. Visit Lilliput Station Adventures... more »
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