Gingerbread Cookie Recipes

You Will Love Grandma's Old-Time Gingerbread Cookie Recipes

Grandma's gingerbread cookie recipes make authentic, old-fashioned gingerbread that is especially delicious. In her day molasses was the common sweetener and gingerbread recipes were very popular.

Gingerbread has long been a favored treat. In the Middle Ages, it was a highly prized confection; it even won a mention in Chaucer's tome Canterbury Tales: "...And gyngebreed that was ful fyn." However, back in 1385, Chaucer's finest "gyngebreed" was quite unlike today's. His was more like a crisp, sweet candy and there were many variations, some of which contained absolutely no ginger at all. Most of today's gingerbread cookie recipes, however, call for the flavor of fresh ginger.

Elizabethan Gingerbreads

Tips On How To Make Gingerbread

Be sure to read these practical tips on how to make good gingerbread.

If in making gingerbread cookie recipes the dough becomes too stiff before it is rolled out, set it before the fire. Snaps will not be crisp if made on a rainy day. Gingerbread and cakes require a moderate oven, snaps a quick one. If cookies or snaps become moist in keeping, put them in the oven and heat them for a few moments. Always use New Orleans or Puerto Rico molasses, and never syrups. Soda is used to act on the "spirit" of the molasses.

In making the old-fashioned, soft, square cakes of gingerbread, put a portion of the dough on a well-floured tin sheet, roll evenly to each side, trim off evenly around the edges, and mark off in squares with a floured knife or wheel cutter. In this way, the dough may be softer than where it is necessary to pick up to remove from board after rolling and cutting.

To make it glossy, rub over the top just before putting it into the oven the following: One well-beaten egg, the same amount or a little more sweet cream, stirring cream and egg well together.

Aunt Molly's Gingerbread

The author of this historic gingerbread cookie recipe says that it is one hundred years old, which makes its origin around 1776. Who knows? Perhaps Aunt Molly made her special gingerbread to celebrate America's first Independence Day. Taste a bit of history; give this easy cookie recipe a try.

Three and a half pounds flour, one of butter, one quart molasses, half pint milk, one teaspoon soda; mix the milk, molasses, and flour together; melt, and add the butter; roll out on the sheets and bake. This recipe is one hundred years old. --Mrs. Woodworth, Springfield, Mass.

Gingerbread Nuts

Two pounds and a half of flour, sifted; one pound of fresh butter; one quart of molasses; two ounces of ginger, or more, if it is not very strong; twelve dozen grains of allspice, six dozen cloves, half an ounce of cinnamon, powdered and sifted; a half teaspoonful of pearl ash [cream of tarter] or saleratus [baking soda], dissolved in a little vinegar.

Cut up the butter in the flour, and mix it with the ginger and other spice. Wet the whole with the molasses, and stir all well together with a knife. Then add the dissolved pearl ash or saleratus [cream of tartar or baking powder].

Stir the mixture very hard, but do not knead it. Divide it in half; roll it out in two even sheets, about half an inch thick and cut it out in little cakes, with a very small tin, about the size of a cent [about 1-1/4 inch diameter]. Lay them in buttered pans, and bake them in a moderate oven, taking care they do not scorch, as gingerbread is more liable to burn than any other cake.

The oven should be hottest at the top.

You may, if you choose, shape the gingerbread nuts, by putting flour in your hand, taking a very small piece of the dough, and rolling it into a little round ball.

If the molasses is thin, or the weather warm, they will require additional flour.

Gingerbread nuts are best when a week old.

Common Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

One pint of molasses; one pound of fresh butter; three pounds of flour, sifted; a small teaspoonful of pearl ash [cream of tarter], or less; a teacup of ginger, or more if it is not strong.

Cut the butter into the flour. Add the ginger. Having dissolved the pearl ash [cream of tartar] in a little vinegar, stir it with the molasses alternately into the other ingredients. Stir it very hard for a long time, till it is quite light. Knead it a little.

Put some flour on your paste-board, take out small portions of the dough, and make it with your hand into long rolls. Then curl up the rolls into round cakes, or twist two rolls together, or lay them in straight lengths or sticks side by side, and touching each other. Put them carefully into buttered pans, and bake them in a moderate oven, not hot enough to burn them. If they should get scorched, scrape off with a knife, or grater, all the burnt parts, before you put the cakes away.

You can, if you choose, cut out the dough with tins, in the shape of hearts, circles, ovals, etc., or you may bake it all in one and cut it in squares when cold.

If the mixture appears to be too thin, add, gradually, a little more sifted flour.

Canada Gingerbread

One cupful of butter, two of sugar, one of molasses, five of flour, three eggs, one nutmeg, one teaspoonful of ginger, one of soda, one teacupful of cream or rich milk, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, one pound of currants. Beat the butter to a cream. Add the sugar, molasses, and spice; next the eggs, well beaten; then the milk, in which the soda has been dissolved; next the flour, and lastly the currants. This will make three sheets, or two very thick ones. Bake in a moderately quick oven, if in three sheets, twenty-five minutes; if in two sheets, ten minutes longer.

Fairy Gingerbread

One cupful of butter, two of sugar, one of milk, four of flour, three-fourths of a teaspoonful of soda, one tablespoonful of ginger. Beat the butter to a cream. Add the sugar, gradually, and when very light, the ginger, the milk, in which the soda has been dissolved, and finally the flour. Turn baking pans upside down and wipe the bottoms very clean. Butter them, and spread the cake mixture very thin on them. Bake in a moderate oven until brown. While still hot, cut into squares with a case knife and slip from the pan. Keep in a tin box.

This gingerbread cookie recipe is delicious. With the quantities given, a large dish of gingerbread can be made. It must be spread on the bottom of the pan as thin as a wafer and cut the moment it comes from the oven.

Baltimore Gingerbread

Lemon rind and currents give this old-time gingerbread cookie recipe its delightful, fruity flavor.

Sift two pounds of flour into a pan, beat eight eggs very light, stir into the flour, cut up very finely one pound of good butter, and add one large cupful of ground ginger, one whole grated nutmeg, the rind of one lemon grated, half a pound of currants, one pound of good brown sugar, one pint of molasses, and one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a cup of cream. Mix these all well together, and bake in small cake pans in rather a quick oven.

Orange Gingerbread

This gingerbread cookie recipe features candied orange peel to give it its unique, delicious taste.

Sift into a pan two pounds and a quarter of fine flour, add one quart of good molasses, three-fourths of a pound of good brown sugar, one ounce of best ground ginger, one ounce of ground allspice; then cut up three-fourths of a pound of good butter, and six ounces of candied orange peel, cut very small; mix these well together; lay it by for ten hours; then roll it out with as little flour as possible, about half an inch thick, and cut into any form; put them on baking tins; rub them over before baking with a brush dipped in the yolk of an egg beaten up with a teacup of milk; bake in a moderately heated oven in about 20 minutes.

Old-Time Gingerbread

This Elizabethan-style gingerbread cookie recipe is made delicious with caraway seeds and grated lemons.

Stir into one pound of good brown sugar one quart of good molasses, cut up one and a half pounds of good butter; mix them well together and heat them; when cool stir in four pounds of sifted flour, four teaspoonfuls of ground ginger of the best quality and strong, four teaspoonfuls of caraway seeds, two carefully grated lemons, and a little salt. Mix these well; then make the cakes, and bake on tins. They are better for keeping awhile.

Beat four eggs very light with a good pinch of salt and a cup of coffee sugar. Add three cups of rich molasses, and a cup of boiling water with two teaspoonfuls soda dissolved in it. Mix well in two tablespoonfuls pounded ginger. Sift five pints of flour with a teaspoonful of salt, rub into it lightly two cups sweet lard, then add the molasses mixture and knead to a firm dough, adding more flour if needed or, if too stiff, a little sweet milk.

Roll out half an inch thick, cut into big squares, bake in a quick oven, and brush over the tops while blazing hot a little butter, molasses, and boiling water. Let stand in a warm place until dry.

These might properly be called "First Monday Ginger Cakes," since Mammy made them to sell upon that day to the crowds which came to court, thereby turning many an honest fip or picayune.

Gossamer Gingerbread

1/3 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, 1-7/8 cups flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon yellow ginger.

Cream the butter, add sugar gradually, then egg well beaten. Add milk, and dry ingredients mixed and sifted. Spread in a buttered dripping-pan as thinly as possible, using the back of mixing spoon. Bake fifteen minutes [or until done]. Sprinkle with sugar, and cut in small squares or diamonds before removing from pan.

Fairy Gingerbread

1/2 cup butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1-7/8 cups bread flour, 2 teaspoons ginger.

Cream the butter, add sugar gradually, and milk very slowly. Mix and sift flour and ginger, and combine mixtures. Spread very thinly with a broad, long-bladed knife on a buttered, inverted dripping-pan. Bake in a moderate oven. Cut in squares before removing from pan. Watch carefully and turn pan frequently during baking so that all may be evenly cooked. If mixture around edge of pan is cooked before that in the center, pan should be removed from oven, cooked part cut off, and remainder returned to oven to finish cooking.

Hard Sugar Gingerbread

3/4 cup butter, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup milk, 5 cups flour, 3/4 tablespoon baking powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 tablespoon ginger.

Cream the butter, add sugar gradually, milk, and dry ingredients mixed and sifted. Put some of mixture on an inverted dripping-pan and roll as thinly as possible to cover pan. Mark dough with a coarse grater. Sprinkle with sugar and bake in a moderate oven. Before removing from pan, cut in strips four and one-half inches long by one and one-half inches wide.