Old Fashioned GingerBread Cookies

Submitted by Divinemom5

"This is an old recipe from the Scovil Bakery in Nauvoo,Il.These were baked in a 'bustle oven'and they still bake bread and cookies in that oven to serve to tours groups to show them what it was like during pioneer times."

 

• Ready In: 20mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 4 dozen(depending on size of cookie cutters or how t

ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup sorghum or 1 cup molasses
• 3⁄4 cup oil or 3/4 cup lard
• 1⁄2 cup hot water
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 6 -7 cups white flour

directions

1. Combine first four ingredients in large bowl.
2. Add eggs.
3. Mix dry ingredients together and add to wet.
4. Mix well.
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Roll dough out on Pam (or other non-stick cooking spray) covered surface (I roll mine out thick,I like a thicker cookie) Cut with desired shapes.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
8. These cookies freeze well and are softer and more flavorful after freezing.

Reviews

[Chrishanna]

This is a great recipe, makes a soft cookie, and bakes well no matter how thickly we rolled it, which is great for cooking with kids. I even made a dough "rope" and shaped it into a gingerbread pretzel, and that worked well too. I made half a batch, used molasses and used whole wheat flour for half the flour needed and it tasted great. I also only chilled it for two hours since my kids couldn't wait any longer. They loved making and decorating these cookies. Thanks for sharing!<br/>Update: After making this several times, I wanted to note to be sure to use the smaller amount of flour, otherwise the consistency is more like a cake and less like a cookie. Still my go-to gingerbread recipe.

 

[Rose is Rose]

These were great! Per mich26's review, I used the sorghum option and Crisco for the shortening. I stirred all of the flour ingredients into 6 cups of flour and ended up stirring in an additional 1/2 cup of flour. Just because I like cloves, I added a teaspoon of cloves. Next time I will add a teaspoon of allspice as well. I only chilled the dough about four hours and it was very easy to work with. I used a floured countertop to roll them out on because I don't think the pioneers in Nauvoo had Pam! You have to be more careful with the raw cookies in this recipe than Gingerbread People by *Elaine*, as the arms and legs tend to break easier. They are very soft cookies. I got about 32 cookies made with a 6 x 5" traditional gingerbread man cutter. I was a Grinch and didn't decorate them. Divinemom5 thanks for a wonderful post! I look forward to making them again.

 

[dmessmer]

I spent a lot of time this Christmas season trying different gingerbread recipes and this was by far the best. I've gotten great responses from everyone who has tried them and they were incredibly easy to make. A lot of the recipes I found were hard to do without a blender (which I don't have), but these were easy to make by hand. The cookies aren't quite stiff enough for a gingerbread house, but as cookies they are great. This is the recipe I will use every Christmas from now on - thanks Divinemom5 for sharing it!

 

[402397]

Well, this was my first time trying to make gingerbread cookies. My family didn't really like the taste of these. The cookie dough was easy to work with. I think there was not enough spices per the large amount of flour in the recipe. I will not make these again.

 

[mich26]

These are very good cookies. It should be noted that the Scovil Baker makes these with sorghum, and they don't taste the same with molasses (because molasses has a stronger flavor). Also, be sure not to add too much flour or they will be too bready. Hopefully I'm the only novice cook to make that mistake...