“Run, run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread…cookie”?
Gingerbread cookies date back to the 15th century, a time when the poor were starving and the rich were well off. A man of good standing could afford for his family if he took part in spice trades. Unfortunately spices, such as ginger, cost a fortune back then. Only the rich, and royalty, could afford such luxuries.
Thankfully, spices today are mass produced and readily available to all who know how to use them in their cooking and baking. I, myself, am fond of my spice cabinets. I have spices that King Henry VIII would have showed off with, as well as spices from my parents’ motherland.
Today’s recipe is for 1960s Gingerbread Cookies. I was actually gifted the recipe, and many others, by my mother-in-law. The spices include ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, the quintessential spices that signify the holidays.
I hope you’ll try these soft, chewy, and delicious cookies this wintery season.
1960s Gingerbread Cookies Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3 c flour (reserve 1 c for kneading)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 c butter
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 c molasses
- 1 egg
Directions:
- Sift 2 cups of flour, baking powder, soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a mixing bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar together and add to the dry ingredients.
- Add the molasses and egg and mix thoroughly.
- Then transfer to a floured work top and knead in the remainder of the flour little by little. The dough will start off as very sticky and soon hold its shape as you continue to knead.
- Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes to your liking.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C) for 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy with icing, milk, or a cup of tea ^-^
