Grandma's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Making Gingerbread cookies and Christmas are for many of us almost synonymous, growing up some of our fondest memories are at Christmas time. If you close your eyes and think back you may be carried off to your grandmother’s kitchen. Sweet Potato Pie, Chocolate Fudge and Gingerbread Cookies.

Every year she filled the house with the incredible smell of gingerbread cookies and the sound of holiday music. Now you’re all grown up with a family of your own and its time to keep the holiday traditions alive! Making gingerbread cookies can be a fun family activity. This simple, easy to follow recipe will show you how to make gingerbread cookies the way your grandmother did.

Grandma’s secret gingerbread recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1-teaspoon salt
• 1-teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1 cup of solid vegetable shortening
• 51/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of powdered ginger
• 11/4 cups of unsulphured molasses
• 2 large eggs beaten

This recipe makes about 40 medium gingerbread cookies. Each cookie serves 1 person. Recipe may be doubled and you may substitute molasses for 1 ½ cups of light corn syrup to make blonde gingerbread cookies.

Preparation:

Oven should be preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl combine flour nutmeg, cinnamon ,cloves, ginger, and salt.

Mix thoroughly. Set to the side. In a large saucepan add shortening and cook on medium high until completely melted. Pull off and allow to cool slightly. Into the shortening, you now add eggs, sugar, and molasses.

Mix well. Add four cups of your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and mix again. Lightly flour your work surface then turn mixture onto it. Knead in remaining dry ingredients by hand. If you need to you can add a little more flour to firm the dough up. Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thick.

Cut out cookies and place on nonstick cooking sheet to bake. Large cookies should bake for about 10 to 15 minutes and small to medium cookies will take about approximately 6 to 10 minutes. If you do not plan to use your gingerbread dough immediately, you may wrap it in plastic and store it in the refrigerator for up to one week. When you pull the gingerbread dough out be sure to allow it to thaw on the counter for at least three hours so that it can soften and will be workable.

This recipe is great for making gingerbread houses and more. Gingerbread is not difficult to make, for me it's the sweet memories of days long past. And funny I remember the sweet stuff like this better than  her Turkey marinades or other dishes.