Lighter Gingerbread Recipes

LIGHTER GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Put the dates in a small bowl and pour over 125ml of boiling water. Leave to cool for 30 mins. Lightly oil a 28 x 19 x 3cm traybake tin, then line the base with baking parchment.
• Meanwhile, put the oil, black treacle, maple syrup and freshly grated ginger in a bowl and beat together with a fork to mix well. Set aside. Beat the egg in a small bowl and stir in the buttermilk. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, cinnamon and sugar - rub the mixture between your fingers to break down any lumpy bits of sugar. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Blend the dates and their liquid to a thick purée in a small food processor. Pour the egg, the dates and the treacle mixture into the bowl with the flour. Stir together briefly with a wooden spoon just until well mixed - the mixture will be soft like a thick batter. Pour it into the lined tin, gently level the mixture and bake for 40-45 mins. To test if it's done, insert a skewer in the centre - if the skewer comes out clean with no uncooked mixture on it, and the cake feels firm but springy to the touch, it should be done.
• Leave in the tin for a few mins before removing to a wire rack, peeling off the parchment and leaving to cool completely. If you can wait, wrap it well in parchment, then foil. Leave for a day before cutting, as it will become stickier - it will keep moist for 3-4 days.

OLD FASHION GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-in. square baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter, shortening and boiling water until smooth; cool slightly. Beat in eggs and molasses until well blended. In another bowl, whisk flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; gradually beat into molasses mixture. Transfer to prepared pan., Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. If desired, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

GINGERBREAD III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch round pan. Sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and molasses. Add flour mixture and water. Beat until smooth.
• Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and serve warm.

BEST-EVER GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Set oven to 350°.
• In a bowl, combine sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
• Stir in the oil, then the molasses, mixing well.
• Mix soda with boiling water and immediately stir into the mixture.
• Gradually blend in the flour, to prevent lumping.
• Then mix in eggs.
• Turn into greased 9 x 13x2-inch pan and bake in a 350° oven about 40-45 minutes.

GLORIFIED GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix sugar, shortening, flour, spices, and salt as for pie crust. Divide dough in half and set aside.
• Add remaining ingredients to half of the dough. Place in a greased 9 inch square pan. Sprinkle the other half of the dough over mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool in pan and then cut into bars.

TRADITIONAL GINGERBREAD LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour or line with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Combine milk, brown sugar, molasses, oil, applesauce, and eggs in a large bowl; mix together until well blended. Stir into flour mixture until just blended. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature, or freeze.

LIGHT GINGERBREAD CAKE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl cream together the butter, molasses, brown sugar and cinnamon until light.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 1 Cup of boiling water. Add to creamed butter mixture.
• Add flour and eggs.
• Pour batter into a greased and floured 9" round baking pan and bake at 325F for 30-35 minutes.

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.

GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*F.
• Prepare a bread pan by lining with parchment paper and spraying with cooking spray. This will ensure bread slips right out of your pan with zero sticking.
• Blend sugar and butter together until fluffy.
• Add egg and molasses and beat well, scraping sides as needed.
• Add baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Mix well.
• Add flour in 1/2 cup at at time and mixing between each addition.
• While mixing, SLOWLY add water to thin batter out. Now is the time to add the apple sauce if you wish, though I didn't need it.
• If adding the crystallized ginger, add now.
• Pour mixture into prepared bread pan and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from oven and add create a tent over bread to prevent from edges getting to dark.
• Place bread back in oven and bake for 15 - 20 more minutes.
• Remove from oven when a toothpick inserted into the middle of bread comes out clean.

GINGERBREAD I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour one 8 inch square baking pan.
• Cream shortening and sugar until light. Add the egg and molasses and beat thoroughly.
• Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon.
• Bring water to a boil and add alternately with flour mixture to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy.

STARBUCKS GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan, or even a square baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Dissolve baking soda into applesauce and mix into creamed butter. Add flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
• Pour the batter into a loaf pan.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out just slightly sticky. (Be careful not to over bake, for this cake can dry out easily. Just remember that the toothpick shouldn't come out clean, but a little sticky).
• For the frosting, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Frost the cake when it is completely cooled. Decorate with chopped candied orange peel or candied ginger.
• *Note: This recipe tastes best the next day.

ULTIMATE EASY GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Heat the butter, syrup and sugar together in a small pan until melted, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Mix together the bicarb, ginger, cinnamon and flour in a large bowl. Pour in the buttery syrup mixture and stir to combine, then use your hands to bring together to form a dough. The dough will be soft at this point, but it'll firm up in the fridge.
• Put the dough on a sheet of baking parchment, shape into a rectangle, and lay another sheet of parchment on top of it. Roll the dough out to a thickness of ½cm. Transfer to a baking sheet to keep it flat, leaving the parchment in place, then chill in the fridge for 1 hr.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line a large baking sheet with more baking parchment. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. We used 9cm stars, but you can choose any shape. We also made some with smaller stars cut out of the centre to thread ribbon through and hang from a Christmas tree.
• Place the shapes, spread apart, on the lined baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 mins. (Depending on the size of the cutters you use, they might need a few minutes more or less cooking in the oven). Leave to cool completely on the baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar with 1-2 tbsp water - you want to create a consistency that's thick and pipeable, and not too thin or it will run. Decorate the cooled biscuits with the icing using a piping bag with a thin nozzle. Find out how to make a piping bag.