It is that time of year when everyone is rushing around, trying to get ready for the holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah or what ever you celebrate; slow down a little and bake some cookies with your kids. It takes some organizing but it is such a joy for the kids. This year I had her best friends over for decorating a ginger bread house and gingerbread cookies. They had so much fun and so did the mums.
When it comes to gingerbread dough, I use my recipe from home, we call it “pepperkaker “. A little more crispy and tastier than traditional ginger breads You can try mine, or you can find a more traditional one
Norwegian “pepperkaker”
5oo g (17.6 oz) butter
3 dl (1.26) molasses
6 dl (2.5 cups) sugar
3 dl (1.26) whipping cream
20 dl (8.45 cups) flour
Spices
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ginger powder
5 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp baking powder
In a pan mix butter, molasses and sugar, heat until the sugar is melted. Stir in cream. Mix 5 dl (2 cups) of flour with spices and baking powder. Add the spice mix into the hot batter, mix well. Add the rest of the flour bit by bit. The dough is finished when it has a light brown colour and a slightly sticky consistency. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough, cover it with a towel and put it in the fridge for a day or so.
After a day or so you can start rolling out the dough with different cookie cutters, make it slightly thinner than normal ginger breads.
Place the tray in the middle of your oven and cook for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Decorating ginger bread house and cookies
This is the most fun for many, and I assume you don’t need a lot help to figure out what to use. This is what we used when we had kids over. Help kids to create their own cookie, but let the kids use their own imagination.
Icing/frosting, different colours
Smarties
Gummy bears
Sprinkles
Gingerbread house
Click here for Gingerbread house templates
Glue for gingerbread house;
2 cups of sugar
Glue: Melt a fair amount of sugar in a large heavy pan over low heat. I used a cast iron pan. We started with about 2 cups of sugar and ended up adding about another cup. Keep stirring. You want the sugar to get to the point where it is almost a clear brown. Be careful though, the “glue” burns BADLY if dripped on skin.
“Dip” the edges of the pieces that she wanted to glue into the sugar and then press it with the other piece. When it cools, it is VERY hard and holds very well. It does cool quickly though, so work fast.
THIS IS A JOB FOR ADULTS, NO KIDS SHOULD BE NEAR YOU WHEN YOU ARE WORKING WITH MELTED SUGAR. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!
Let it cool and decorate next day.
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Happy holidays!
