Gingerbread Rings Recipes

GINGERBREAD RINGS

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg yolks, water and molasses. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-3/4-in. doughnut cutter. Remove and discard centers. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks. In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Bring to a boil; cook until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage), about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar mixture, beating on high for 7-8 minutes or until thickened. Frost cookies. Decorate if desired.

GINGERBREAD WREATH

Steps:

• Put the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then bubble for 1-2 mins, stirring until well combined. Set aside to cool for 10 mins.
• Tip the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large bowl. Add the warm syrup mixture and the egg, stir to bring everything together, then gently knead in the bowl until smooth and streak-free. The dough will feel a little soft now, but will firm up once cooled. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and and leave at room temperature until softened. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
• Cut off half the dough and keep the rest wrapped in cling film. Roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin, then use a plate or the base of a cake tin as a template to cut out a 20cm circle. Transfer to one of the baking trays, then use a 7cm cutter to stamp out and remove a circle in the middle. Roll out the remaining dough and cut out a variety of other shapes to decorate the wreath (you'll need about 20-25 pieces - we used stars and angels) and arrange these over the trays too.
• Bake the biscuits for 10-12 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through cooking. Stamp a hole in the top of the ring using a small cutter, or the end of a piping nozzle, as soon as it comes out the oven - you can tie a pretty ribbon through this later. Leave to cool on the trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick icing. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle, then decorate the biscuits as you wish, using a little edible glitter, if you like. We flooded some of the biscuits with pale blue icing (see tip) and piped white details on the others. Leave the icing to dry for 1-2 hrs, then use a little more icing to stick the biscuits to the wreath. Thread a ribbon through the hole and wrap up in cellophane, if giving as a gift (the ribbon is just for show and may not support a hung wreath). Will keep for 2 weeks.

FAVORITE OLD FASHIONED GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

OLD-FASHIONED GINGERBREAD RING

Steps:

• Make Gingerbread Ring:.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Grease and flour a 5-1/2 cup round mold.
• Into medium bowl, sift flour with baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
• In large bowl, using portable electric mixer, beat egg with molasses, butter, and 1/2 cup hot water until well combined.
• Gradually beat in flour mixture, beating until smooth.
• Turn into prepared round mold; bake 25 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
• While gingerbread bakes, make Apple Filling.
• Apple Filling:.
• Fold applesauce and sugar into whipped cream, to combine well. Refrigerate until serving.
• Let gingerbread cool in pan 10 minutes. Then turn out, and serve warm, or let cool completely on wire rack.
• Fill center of ring with Apple Filling, and serve.