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Recipe
INGREDIENTS – Dough:
- ¾ cup (185 ml) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) fancy molasses*
- ¼ cup (60 ml) very finely diced candied orange peel or grated orange rind (zest)
- 4 cups (1 L) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (185 ml) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) ground allspice
INGREDIENTS – Glaze:
- 1 medium egg yolk
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- Makes approximately 50 squares.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease.
DOUGH:
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and molasses just until smooth.
Scrape into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Add the candied orange peel or zest.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, ginger and allspice.
Stir into the molasses mixture 1 cup (250 ml) at a time.
Press the dough together, kneading a few times until smooth.
Divide in half and form each half into a disc.
Wrap each disc individually and chill until firm, about 1 hour or up to overnight.
Let soften at room temperature before rolling.
Roll out each disc on a well-floured work surface to a 15 x 9 inch (38 x 23 cm) rectangle, a scant ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
Trim if necessary.
With the blunt side of a long knife or a ruler, press lines about halfway through the dough, 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, first vertically then horizontally, to form a neat checkerboard pattern.
Cut into 3-inch (8 cm) squares and transfer to the prepared baking sheets, about 1-inch (2.5 cm) apart.
Prepare glaze before baking.
GLAZE:
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the milk until smooth.
Brush about half of the mixture over the gingerbread squares.
Bake in the centre of a 350 degree F. (180 degree C) overn until firm to a light touch and darkened on the bottom, about 15 to 18 minutes.
Immediately bruce with the remaining glaze mixture.
Let firm up on the baking sheets for 3 minutes then transfer to racks to cool completely.
KEEPING YOUR COOKIES FRESH:
Layer the squares in airtight containers.
Store at room temperature for a few days or freeze up to 2 weeks.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION:
Replace the 4 cups (1 L) all-purpose flour with a 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour such as Bob’s Red Mill or any brand which already contains the xanthan gum thickening agent/stabilizer needed in place of gluten.
VEGAN VERSION:
Replace the ¾ cups (185 ml) unsalted butter with a non-dairy product such as Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter.
Eliminate the egg yolk and glaze the gingerbread with a milk alternative of your choice or simply don’t glaze.
21st Century Baker’s Comments:
Don’t let the geometry of the grid pattern deter you because the effort was worth it in the end.
It actually makes sense because, unlike using a cookie cutter, every inch of the dough is used so the process is technically easy; you roll once, measure and voila!
Give the grid pattern a try because everyone who ate these ended up breaking the larger square into individual smaller pieces. Fun!
That said, if you want to use a cookie cutter, the dough is perfect for cut-outs.
Definitely make sure you let the baked cookies cool because they could fall apart if you move them too soon.
Also, while fancy molasses is sweeter, these are not an overly sweet cookies which appeals to some folks.
Note: I didn’t get 50 cookies; more like 30.
What are Fancy Molasses?
Molasses is the by-product of the sugar manufacturing process which results in several grades of molasses depending on how refined (how often boiled) it is. Two of the more common varieties available in grocery stores are “fancy” and “blackstrap.”
Fancy molasses is the sweeter of the two and produces a lighter coloured end product. It is the highest grade of molasses that is made from pure sugarcane juice that has been processed to make an unsulfured product.
Blackstrap molasses is a result of the third and last boiling of the cane or beet juice used initially. The repeated boiling process, which is intended to remove water, means that some of the sweetness has been removed and the result is a thicker, darker and less sweet end product.