Everyone knows the best part of the holidays is time with family – and there’s no better way to celebrate than with festive traditions that bring loved ones together. But since the season might look a little bit different this year, we might need to put the old ones aside for the year and try something new!
Everyone loves building and decorating gingerbread houses, but have you tried making one homemade? This gingerbread recipe is not only delicious, but it makes enough dough for a neighborhood of gingerbread houses – or an army of gingerbread men!
Here’s the recipe, adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup dark molasses
4 tablespoons water
1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together with a stand or handheld mixer in a separate large bowl, about two minutes.
3. Add egg, molasses, and water and mix on high speed until combined.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients mixture until combined.
5. Divide the dough into four parts. Flatten each into discs (4-5 inches in diameter) and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.
6. Roll out your dough to ¼ inch thick. Dough is sticky and will make a mess of your counters, so roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to reduce the work for you and your Handee Pockets!
7. Cut dough into shapes. You can use gingerbread men cookie cutters, this shaping guide from Sally’s Baking Addiction, fun seasonal shapes, or whatever else sounds most fun to munch and decorate!
8. Bake cookies at 350 degrees until edges are lightly browned. This will vary by shape: House pieces will take 18-20 minutes, and smaller cookies will take 12-13 minutes, or less.
9. Cool on a flat surface.
10. Grab your frosting (royal icing is a must if you’re building a gingerbread house), sprinkles, and candies, and get decorating!
Does all the holiday fun have your kitchen counters and dining room table a mess? Not to worry – a swipe of your Multi Purpose Handee Pockets will have your home looking better than ever. Plus, you have beautiful cookie decorations to up the holiday fun – if any of them managed to go uneaten!