Gingerbread Christmas Ornaments
- Ready In:
- 48hrs 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Yields:
-
30-40 cookies
ingredients
- 6 tablespoons shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 7 cups flour
- 1 1⁄2 cups water
directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat shortening and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in molasses.
- Sift baking soda, ground cloves, ginger, cinnamon and flour together in a large bowl. Stir this mixture plus water into the sugar and shortening mixture, alternately adding the water and baking soda mixture to the shortening mixture.
- Stir until mixed thoroughly and refrigerate 6-8 hours.
- Cut dough into three equal pieces, knead each piece lightly and then use a rolling pin to roll out each piece to a 1/4-inch thickness.
- Use holiday cookie cutters made in the shapes of gingerbread people and houses to cut shapes out of the dough.
- Use a medium- to large-sized drinking straw or the end of a wooden chopstick to make a hole at the top of each shape. *Tip: make sure to really make a sizable hole (bigger than you think you need), as these do puff up in the cooking process, making the hole shrink.
- Put cookies on cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes. Turn oven off and allow cookies to cool in the oven. This will help harden the cookies.
- Place cookies on racks to completely harden. Place racks in a cool, dry place and let sit for two to three days.
- Coat cookies with clear acrylic or varnish and allow cookies to dry thoroughly.
- Paint cookies with acrylic paints as desired. Allow paint to dry thoroughly.
- Thread a 5- to 6-inch length of narrow ribbon or cording through the hole at the top of each ornament. You may have to use a toothpick to chip a little bit of cookie out of the hole if it has closed up a bit, before threading with ribbon. Knot ends and hang ornaments.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I am completely in flux right now. I am hoping to move to NY and pursue a career in medicine. I am a pianist and a teacher, and love to cook and experiment with different things. My boyfriend is an opera singer in Brooklyn, and I hope to join him up there, and learn a lot more about international cuisine than I do in Texas!
I haven't used too many cookbooks since I became addicted to 'Zaar. I find way too many interesting things on here to try, and it's great to have the reviews already there, too, to give some other ideas of additions or changes.
I have also become a big fan of making my own spice rubs and sauces. I generally pull out 10 or 12 things from my cabinet, start smelling them, and then dumping them in as I feel the urge.
I don't really have a favorite dish to cook, though one of my new personal favorites is my Strawberry Pork Tenderloin. I just love when I get to be in the kitchen all day. I have an iPod shuffle that I clip to my apron, and I frequently sing and dance in the kitchen while I cook!
There is a restaurant in Houston called Raffa's, and they are absolutely fab. They make a pork dish with fresh rosemary and a raspberry sauce that was largely inspiration for the Strawberry Pork Tenderloin I love to make. Other than that, I love Chinese take-out in any form, and just found tons of new restaurants in New York that I totally love.
The more I read of people on this site, the bolder I get at trying my own things in the kitchen. I used to be a "recipe only" gal, and followed them to the letter, but am finding it can be much more fun to create your own. The worst that can happen is you make the occasional flop, right?
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