Childhood Gingerbread With Molasses Recipe Epicuriouscom

GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together oil and sugar until combined and beat in egg and molasses until combined well. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined and add water, beating until smooth.
• Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool gingerbread in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of pan and invert gingerbread onto rack to cool completely.
• Serve gingerbread with whipped cream.

GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
• Whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg until blended, then beat in molasses and buttermilk. Mix in flour mixture on low speed until smooth, then add hot water and beat 1 minute (batter may look curdled.)
• Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until a wooded pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.

NEW ENGLAND MOLASSES GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• For dough:
• Combine 5 1/4 cups flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend well. Using electric mixer, beat butter and shortening in large bowl to blend. Add 1 cup sugar, molasses, and lemon peel and beat until smooth. Beat in egg and buttermilk. Stir 2 teaspoons water and baking soda in small cup to blend; beat into butter mixture. Beat in flour mixture in 2 additions. Stir in more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until slightly firm dough forms. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Shape each into disk. Wrap disks and chill until firm enough to roll, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften slightly before rolling out.)
• Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 16x12-inch rectangle, occasionally lifting paper to smooth out wrinkles. Using 4- to 5-inch cutters, cut out boy and girl gingerbread people. Pull away excess dough around cutouts; flatten, wrap, and chill excess dough. Slide rimless baking sheet or inverted baking sheet under waxed paper with cutouts and chill until firm. Repeat with remaining dough disks, refrigerating cutouts on waxed paper on baking sheets. Roll out excess dough and make more cookies, using all of dough. (Cutout cookies can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep chilled.)
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Using thin metal spatula, lift chilled cookies off waxed paper and transfer to baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake until darker at edges and just firm to touch in center, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely. Bake remaining cookies, 1 sheet at a time.
• For icing:
• Sift powdered sugar into medium bowl. Mix in lemon juice and corn syrup. Mix in enough water by teaspoonfuls to form smooth icing soft enough to pipe but firm enough to hold shape. Divide into 3 or 4 portions and tint with food coloring, if desired.
• Spoon icing into pastry bag (or bags if using more than 1 color) fitted with small (1/16- to 1/8-inch) plain tip. Arrange cookies on work surface. Pipe icing onto cookies in desired patterns. Apply decorations as desired. Let cookies stand until icing is dry. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store cookies airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)

OLD-FASHIONED GINGERBREAD WITH MOLASSES WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until blended. Beat in 3/4 cup molasses, then eggs 1 at a time. Sift in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt; beat until blended. Beat in 1/4 cup cream, then 3/4 cup boiling water. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack.
• Beat 1 1/4 cups cream and 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold in 2 tablespoons molasses just until streaks appear (do not overmix). Cut cake into slices; transfer to plates. Serve with molasses whipped cream.

MOLASSES GINGERBREAD WITH LIME CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.
• Melt the stick of butter, pour into a large bowl, and allow it to cool slightly. Beat the sugar and eggs into the butter. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and grated ginger.
• Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir the molasses and soda solution into the water. Whisk the dry ingredients into the sugar and eggs, then stir in the molasses mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, testing for doneness with a wooden toothpick in the center of the cake (it should pull out clean and free of batter). Another indicator is that the cake will pull away from the sides of the pan when it's done. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the cake, and invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with Lime Cream.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the eggs and sugar at high speed until double in volume and light in color. Lower the speed and blend in the lime juice and zest.
• Pour the egg mixture into a medium metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler). Cook over high heat, whisking often, until smooth, very thick, and custardlike (about 20 minutes). Remove from the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is fully incorporated. If the final mixture is lumpy, strain through a fine sieve. Otherwise, cool to room temperature.
• Using an electric mixer or a wire whisk, whip the heavy cream into soft peaks. Gently fold a fourth of the whipped cream into the lime curd. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream.