Tasty Bites: Soft Gingerbread Recipe

By Beth V

With Christmas approaching, I was recently inspired to try an old-fashioned gingerbread recipe. Gingerbread makes a great breakfast or dessert. It is not so sweet to be only limited to dessert-time and it goes wonderfully with a cup of coffee or tea. This recipe produces a super -soft and moist, perfectly spiced, moderately sweet pan of gingerbread. This gingerbread is perfectly comfortable to stand on its own, but it also enjoys the company of a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar or a dollop of freshly whipped cream on occasion. (Click on the links for previous recipes where this is further explained.)

Start by creaming together softened butter and brown sugar until creamy, then add in three eggs, one at a time until well-combined. Now, blend in some molasses.

Set this aside and combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Now, combine a cup of boiling water with two teaspoons baking soda.  I am not sure why the recipe calls for this step instead of just adding the baking soda into the dry ingredients, but it does turn out very nicely. Next time I make it, maybe I will try adding it to the dry ingredients to see if it makes a difference. This time I decided not to mess with a good thing. And, your children may really enjoy this extra step because the chemical reaction of the baking soda with the boiling water causes the mixture to rapidly bubble and fizz. I admit it was pretty fun to watch and it was a great reminder that cooking is science.

Stir in a third of the dry mixture into the butter mixture, followed by a third of the water/baking soda mixture, alternating back and forth and finishing with the remaining water/baking soda mixture. Give it a final stir with a spatula to make sure everything is mixed well.

Pour the batter into a greased, 9x13 pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until the middle is set and just a few crumbs remain on a toothpick inserted into the center.

 

As this bakes, your kitchen will be filled with the most delicious, sweet and spicy fragrance. Your children will wonder, as mine did, “Mommy, what’s that good smell?”

We enjoyed our gingerbread first as a dessert, accompanied by fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The leftovers were enjoyed plain the next morning as breakfast and subsequent snacks.

I recommend you add this to your list of special Christmas baked goods, but it would make a wonderful treat anytime of the year, especially in the fall or winter with a warm beverage.

Soft Gingerbread

From food.com

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs  

1/2 cup molasses

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 cup boiling water

2 teaspoons baking soda

Freshly whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 pan. Thoroughly cream together the brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, then stir in the molasses. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together, except for the baking soda. In another small bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda. Add dry ingredients and water/baking soda mixture to mixing bowl alternately, mixing well with each addition. Pour into pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. Serve with whipped cream on top or a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar, if desired.

Here are links to my Christmas recipe posts from last year:

Candy Bark

Crab Meltaways

Father Tim’s Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

Molasses Spice Cookies

More cute cookies

Enjoy!

Beth is a stay-at-home mom of three wonderfully active children ages seven, four and one. She is married to Jason V (who also writes for us here at MAD21) and spends her days teaching, changing diapers, sweeping up Cheerios, stepping over Legos, keeping peace among the kids, and enjoying the creative outlet of cooking.

Comments

[Family Christian Store]

Great post. I found what I was looking for. Do you mind if I post this on my website and give you credit? If not, it’s ok.