Gingerbread Men

in history and the present

Hello,

The exotic amaryllis, too tall to use as a centerpiece, and so fast-growing that it may bloom while you step out to check the mailbox, keeps me company on a bench in the kitchen. Its top-heavy, fiery red-orange blooms are in sharp contrast to the snow and sleet that have closed down all the local schools for the day. It’s a perfect morning for baking, and I have gingerbread men on my mind. I find the list of ingredients for gingerbread cookies on a recipe card in my mom’s handwriting, minus any directions, but I have baked enough cookies that I don’t see this as a problem. The first “men” out of the oven have spread a bit, but they have kept their shape by the second batch. In contrast to the amaryllis, they are homespun and sturdy.

Traditions of gingerbread come from Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the British Isles. As these countries are cold during the holiday season, gingerbread spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice, conjure a feeling of warmth. The court of Queen Elizabeth I employed a royal maker of gingerbread who created gingerbread men to represent foreign dignitaries visiting her court. Practitioners of folk medicine provided them to young women seeking to woo a particular young man. The hope was that if the gentleman ate the young lady’s gingerbread man, he would fall in love with her. Honey was the original sweetener, followed by English cooks’ adaptation of cane sugar by the end of the 16th century, and finally molasses by the mid-17th century.

I had not made these cookies in several years. They are easy to roll out after chilling and are well worth the effort. The spice is fairly mild, so if you enjoy more zip, increase the quantity of spice. My cookie cutters were small, and since cookies were being eaten right out of the oven, I couldn’t provide an accurate count. I used a knitting needle to push a small hole in the top of some of the cookies before baking, in case I wanted to string some and hang them on the tree. I crafted a pastry bag from a Ziploc bag and made an icing with softened butter, confectionery sugar, vanilla, and milk. As you can see from the photo, I probably wouldn’t be hired as the gingerbread maker at the royal court.

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

1 c. butter, melted (my mom used margarine)

1 c. sugar

1 c. molasses

1/2 c. evaporated milk

3/4 t. vanilla extract

1 t. nutmeg

2 t. ginger

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. baking soda

4 c. unbleached flour

Directions

Cream together the melted butter, sugar, and molasses in a large mixing bowl. Add the evaporated milk and vanilla, mix well. Add the spices, salt, and baking soda. Stir to mix. Add one cup of flour at a time, mixing well after each addition. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Allow the dough to warm up slightly, for about ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. Roll the dough 1/8” thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with 3” cookie cutters. Bake for 8 to minutes until set.

Thank you to all the posts on IG that showed me how easy it is to poke holes in a potato and insert them with Christmas greenery to make my own door arrangement!

Do you bake a special cookie for Christmas or Hanukkah?

Thanks for reading,

Vicki