Old Fashion Gingerbread Recipe

[Archived Chef's Tables Recipes]

Back in the ‘50’s when I was growing up no Christmas was complete without the sweet and spicy smell of gingerbread. An almost intoxicating aroma filled the house and you knew, even as a small child, that it wasn’t long before Christmas eve.

If you ever dined in our Main Dining Room you probably noticed the full sized figures of colonial looking men & women and decorative large wooden planks that appear to have the same figures carved in them.

What most of our guest don’t realize is that these boards are actual hundred and forty plus year old gingerbread boards rescued from a demolished barn in southern Pennsylvania. It was a tradition with the Pennsylvania Dutch to bake these full size gingerbread men and women for special occasions and in particular weddings where the giant cookies would be served in the place of a wedding cake.

We even tried to bake a cookie using the boards once, but had problems with the feet and legs curling up as the cookie cooled. Never did try it a second time.

Our interior design team of Don Nagel, Dave Zeese and Steve Davidek spent countless hours cleaning and refurbishing the boards, giving them an almost new look before proudly mounting them for public display.
My recipe for gingerbread is a semi-soft cookie – perfect for making cut-outs or the ever popular gingerbread houses that seem to get more elaborate each year.

OLD FASHIONED GINGERBREAD RECIPE

• 8 TBSP softened butter ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup light brown sugar 1 TBSP ground ginger
• ½ cup molasses 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg ½ tsp ground allspice
• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder

Procedure:

1. Cream butter and sugar together, then beat in molasses and egg.
2. Add all dry ingredients and spices together and mix until well blended.
3. Add dry ingredient to creamed butter/sugar mixture and mix until well blended.
4. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
5. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface about three-quarters of an inch thick.
6. Using a cookie cutter cut out cookie figures or into three inch squares( if you’re not artistic) and place in a pre-heated 350F oven for 7-8 minutes.
7. Transfer to a cooling rack.
8. Personally, I like mine plain, but you can frost the cookies if you wish (2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 TBSP milk or cream) or just sprinkle with regular sugar while they’re cooling.
   

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
John Zehnder, Certified Executive Chef, ACF Vice-President
Director of Zehnder's Food & Beverage
jzehnder@zehnders.com

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