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Making gingerbread cookies during the Christmas holiday season is a time honored tradition, celebrated by many countries, races, religions, and families.
The preservative qualities of ginger were discovered in medieval English times, when ginger was applied to cakes, pastries and breads to make them last longer during extended journeys. By 1614, English villages were making specialty cakes of ginger to celebrate religious holidays.. Doughs were cut into shapes of hearts, animals, and flowers and could only be baked and served during the religious festivities of Easter and Christmas.
Today, ginger is used as a homeopathic treatment for nausea, motion sickness, and morning sickness. It is also used in all different types of recipes and religious rituals. The making of gingerbread men remains one of the most popular uses for ginger.
EASY GINGERBREAD MEN
(Makes 6 ornaments)
1/2c Applesauce
1/2c Cinnamon
2T Household glue
Mix all ingredients together and roll on wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the shapes of the intended ornaments. Poke a small hole in the top of the ornament using the end of a straw, knife, chopstick, small dowel, pencil, or similar object. Allow ornaments to air dry for 1-3 days. When ornaments are ready to be decorated they will be completely dry and very hard.
SLOW BAKE GINGERBREAD ORNAMENTS
(Makes 15 ornaments)
16oz. Applesauce
1c Cinnamon
2T Allspice
Preheat oven to 150-degrees.
Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Roll dough on wax paper. Cut out ornaments with appropriately shaped cookie cutters. Poke a hole in the top of each ornament using a straw, knife, chopstick, pencil, or similar object.
Bake in 150-degree oven for 90 minutes. Turn ornaments over. Bake for an additional 90-minutes. Allow ornaments to cool and continue drying for 1-3 hours after baking.
HEAVY DUTY GINGERBREAD ORNAMENTS
(Makes 30 ornaments)
1c Sugar
6T Shortening
2t Baking soda
2t Cloves, ground
2t Ginger
2t Cinnamon
7c Flour
1-1/2c Water
Preheat oven to 325-degrees.
Mix shortening and 1 cup of sugar together in a large bowl. Add baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, flour, and 1-1/2 cups of water. When mixed completely, refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
Roll gingerbread out to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured surface or on wax paper. Poke a hole in the top of each ornament using a straw, knife, chopstick, pencil, or similar object.
Put cutouts on cookie sheet and bake 20-minutes in 325-degree oven. After 20-minutes, turn oven off, leaving cookies inside oven to continue the drying process. After 1-hour, move cookies to a rack and allow to sit untouched for 1-3 days or until completely dry and hard.
When cookies are dry, spray with clear acrylic paint or brush with clear varnish and allow cookie coating to dry completely.
BROWN GINGERBREAD MEN
(Makes 30 ornaments)
1c Sugar
6T Shortening
2t Baking soda
2t Cloves, ground
2t Ginger
2t Cinnamon
7c Flour
1c Water
1/2c Molasses
2T Cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Mix shortening and 1 cup of sugar together in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for 4-hours.
Roll dough out on floured surface of wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Poke a hole in the top of each cookie with a straw, knife, chopstick, pencil, or similar object.
Put cutouts on cookie sheet and bake 20-minutes in 325-degree oven. After 20-minutes, turn oven off, leaving cookies inside oven to continue the drying process. After 1-hour, move cookies to a rack and allow to sit untouched for 1-3 days or until completely dry and hard.
When cookies are dry, spray with clear acrylic paint or brush with clear varnish and allow cookie coating to dry completely.
DECORATING IDEAS
Gingerbread cookies can be decorated by children of all ages. You can change the body color of the gingerbread men/women by applying colored frosting, colored glues, and more. Here are some simple ideas to get you started:
GLUE
Gingerbread cookies can be decorated or colored by using household glue. Since no one will be eating the cookies, glue is a cost-effective alternative to using frosting, which often cakes off and doesn't preserve well. Use glue to attach eyes, ears, clothing, and other objects to gingerbread men and women. Glue can also be colored by adding dyes or paints to the glue and mixing well.
PAINTS
Acrylic paints can be used in place of frosting or glue to decorate ornaments. Children and adults can use paints to add clothing, features, or body parts (such as fingers, toes, eyes, mouths) to ornaments. Paint on with a paint brush or purchase small spray cans of acrylic paints to color coordinate each ornament before adding features.
CANDY
RED HOTS can be glued to ornaments and used as eyes, buttons on clothing, noses and more.
LEMON DROPS make great eyes and buttons, too.
LICORICE strips torn into thin bands can be glued to the face of the ornament to make a smile or frown or other facial expression.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS can also be used as an easy decoration for gingerbread men.
SUGAR SPRINKLES that are colored can be sprinkled over large areas to color in clothing or hair.
LIFESAVERS add color to wreath shaped cookies.
HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS
SMALL BUTTONS make great realistic decorations. Use them to make eyes, buttons, or noses.
RUBBER BANDS (cut in quarters) can be used to make a smile or hair.
YARN can be added to ornaments to make hair or outline an outfit.
TIPS AND TRICKS
Don't limit yourself to making gingerbread men. Use any cookie cutter shape! Stars, houses, animals, even circles and squares make great ornaments!
Use the top of a glass to make perfect circle ornaments.
Gingerbread ornaments can be strung together with garland, string, or tinsel rope.
Gingerbread men and women can be hung from a window, in hallways, used as wall decorations, on wreaths, on the tree, or anywhere else you want to add a festive feel.
You can coat cookies with two or more layers of clear acrylic or varnish to help preserve cookies before and after decorating.
Store cookies in a hard box year round. Wrapping them in paper towels or newspaper and storing in a dry area will help to prevent breakage and preserve quality.
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