The Joy of Gingerbread

’Tis the season to enjoy those special holiday treats that we look forward to all year. The ambrosia salad that an aunt makes special for you, the peanut butter fudge Nana always made, your best friend’s rum balls. Like the Butler family’s chocolate waffles on Christmas, many of these delights come from generations of tradition and family recipes, and only appear for the season or this one special holiday. Christmas is the time for eggnog, fruitcake, and peppermint bark. Everywhere you turn, there are treats to be enjoyed, but nothing makes us smile more than whimsical gingerbread men (women too!) and colorfully decorated gingerbread houses.

The origins of gingerbread cookies and houses may go back further than you realize. While some food historians say the first known recipe for gingerbread dates from around 2400 BC in Greece, others trace its origins to 992 AD when Christian bakers in France were taught to make it by Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis. Ginger was used in food even before that, first cultivated in China approximately 5,000 years ago, and was thought to have magical and medicinal properties.

Over the centuries that followed, science has proven they were right. Ginger has many health benefits. It has anti-inflammatory properties that can help your brain. For example, ginger increases serotonin and dopamine levels, which can help with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Reducing inflammation may also fight dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Ginger is also well known for its ability to ease stomach pains, treat nausea and motion sickness. Ginger has been proven helpful in fighting infection and reducing LDL cholesterol levels. Although our early predecessors may not have been aware of these specific benefits, they did make ample use of ginger for its medicinal purposes and its properties as a natural preservative.

The term “gingerbread” to describe what would later become the hard cookies we know today is a bit misleading, because although today we’re familiar with gingerbread loaves, it was never a bread. The word “gingerbread” was derived from an Old French term for gingered food and morphed into Middle English “gyngebreed,” which then became “gingerbread.” Mostly made by monks to feed to the hungry and use for religious instruction, flat cakes or cookies were formed from a paste of breadcrumbs, honey, and ginger that was rolled out thin and either pressed into molds or baked in sheets and later cut. Children were given gingerbread slabs with letters inscribed on them to help them learn the alphabet. They were allowed to eat the tablets once they successfully completed the lesson. More elaborate gingerbread, often iced and decorated with gold leaf, and depicting people was used by heads of state for self-promotion and handed out like coins; it also became common in royal courts. Less lavish forms of gingerbread, often shaped like animals, hearts, and other symbols were a staple at Medieval fairs for commoners, and unmarried woman ate man-shaped figures called “husbands” to help attract and ensure they’d find a real husband.

While the timeline here is a bit fuzzy, it was Queen Elizabeth I who gets the credit for introducing the first true “gingerbread men.” when she had her pastry bakers create gingerbread biscuits cut to resemble her suitors and other dignitaries who visited her court, decorating them with edible features and outfits. She then served them to guests, who were amused to eat their own likenesses, or perhaps she ate them out of spite. These cookies gifted by the queen were much coveted and her audacious act was emulated and popularized. Even Shakespeare recognized the appeal of gingerbread, having penned these lines in “Love’s Labor Lost” around the mid-1590s for a performance in Queen Elizabeth’s court: “And I had but one penny in the world, thou should'st have it to buy gingerbread.”

In Nuremberg, Germany (known as the Gingerbread Capital of the World), the practice of making gingerbread was so lucrative that gingerbread bakers formed a guild that employed master bakers and skilled workers to monopolize the production of this special treat, prohibiting other bakers (even in private homes) from making gingerbread, with the exceptions of Christmas or Easter! Gingerbread men even earned a place on the first Christmas trees, which coincidentally were introduced in England thanks to another queen. It was Queen Victoria who brought into the mainstream the tradition of the evergreen hung with sweets and ornaments from her husband’s homeland in Germany.

The Gingerbread Man tale about a cookie man who runs away from a cow, a horse, and a chicken but gets eaten by a fox, has delighted children (despite its slightly grisly tone) at Christmas since it was first published in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1875. The Gingerbread Man remains a common subject for American children's literature into the 21st century. The retellings often omit the original ending: "I am quarter gone... I am half gone... I am three-quarters gone... I am all gone!" and make other changes. In some variations, the fox feigns deafness, drawing the Gingerbread Man closer and closer. Then the fox snatches and devours him. In other versions, the Gingerbread Man halts in his flight at a riverbank, and after accepting the fox's offer to ferry him across, is convinced by the fox to move ever-forward toward the fox's mouth. The Gingerbread Man’s taunt to his pursuers: “Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me. I'm the Gingerbread Man!” is well-known by children even today. Of course, in our current generations, this may be attributed to the character of Gingy in DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek movies. One of Shrek’s best buddies, this feisty gingerbread man who was baked by the Muffin Man endured torture at Lord Farquaad’s hands and has a healthy (and not unreasonable!) fear of Santa and his appetite.

There’s another gingerbread connection that began with some fairy tale characters and evolved into tradition and popular culture. We have Hansel and Gretel from the story published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm to thank for the tradition of making houses out of gingerbread slabs and decorating them with icing and candy. The original fairy tale includes the line: “When they came nearer, they saw that the house was built of bread, and roofed with cakes, and the window was of transparent sugar.” Inspired by the story, German bakers began to craft small, decorated houses from the spiced honey biscuits they called lebkuchen. Today, most of us have childhood memories of playing Candy Land and racing our little cookie men to the gingerbread castle. In the stores during the holiday season, you can find simple to elaborate gingerbread house kits from the big-name cookie and candy makers using their products and others inspired by games, movies, and cartoons, like the Super Mario castle.

Our fascination with gingerbread houses, castles, and other structures has led to some amazing creations. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized the largest gingerbread house as a house built with an edible exterior (mounted over a wooden frame) by the Traditions Golf Club near Texas A&M University in 2013 to help raise money for a trauma center at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Their recipe was simple: mix 1,800 pounds of butter 2,925 pounds of brown sugar, 7,200 eggs, 7,200 pounds all-purpose flour, 1,080 ounces ground ginger and a few other ingredients, bake and form into panels for mounting. The bakers tried to cut back on the butter and baking soda as much as possible to help the gingerbread better stand up to the weather, but calorie count is still estimated to be about 36,000 million! The edible and aromatic panels, icing and candy were mounted over the wooden frame and stood up to the Texas sun as well as a few storms. “One problem we did not anticipate was bees on warm days,” Traditions Golf Club General Manager Bill Horton said. “They have been coming over, getting so much sugar and stumbling around like they are drunk. But no one has gotten stung.”

Locally, Sea Island Resort has been known for the massive gingerbread creations they create and display at The Cloister during the Christmas holidays. With different themes and replicas of island icons, the work of their confectioners has been remarkable. On Jekyll Island at the Holiday Inn Resort, there is currently a life-sized gingerbread house in the lobby and visitors are invited to come take a look and enjoy complimentary gingerbread cookies. Up in Darien, at Oaks on the River, you can check out a display of smaller, but festively creative, gingerbread houses made by students from local schools in the lobby. While you’re there, cast a vote for your favorite!

Hopefully all of this has inspired you to do a little baking of your own. On the following pages you’ll find recipes for traditional gingerbread cookies and a spicy gingerbread loaf. Both are bake sale favorites! And since fresh ginger has so many health benefits, we threw in a recipe for homemade ginger ale. For some holiday cheer, we added a Christmas twist on the traditional ginger beer mule cocktail and included a non-edible recipe for gingerbread ornaments you can make with the kids and hang on the tree.

Grandma G’s Gingerbread Cookies

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies and comes from a long-time reader with this description: “I first made these cookies back in 1969 when my boys had Boy Scout bake sales. The bake sale committee did not want hundreds of chocolate chip cookies and appealed to the mothers to be innovative and make something that would sell. I was at a loss as to what make, so I took a molasses rolled out cookie dough recipe and used it to make gingerbread boys and girls. I made three dozen of them and way back then, they sold them for $1 each and sold out in minutes. And now, I have been making them for over 50 years!”

Ingredients:

1 c. molasses, dark

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. or 2 sticks margarine*

1 Tbsp. baking soda

4½ to 5 cups flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 egg, well beaten

Preparation:

Combine molasses, sugar, shortening and baking soda in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and boil slowly for 5 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Mix flour, salt ,and spices. Add well beaten egg to the molasses mixture, then the dry ingredients. Put in refrigerator until chilled. Roll out on a lightly floured surface ¼-inch thick and cut with cookie cutter. Place on either a greased baking pan or use parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

For frosting

3 egg whites

2½ c. confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice, or ¼ tsp. cream of tartar

1½ Tbsp. margarine

Flavoring of your choice (Gramdma G uses vanilla, clove, or almond extract.)

Assorted food coloring

Gumdrops, cinnamon dots, sprinkles and other candies

Quality sandwich bags

Preparation:

Beat egg whites and 1/3 of the confectioners sugar with mixer about 3-4 minutes. Add 1/3 more sugar and lemon juice or cream of tartar; beat 6-8 minutes longer. Add desired flavoring and enough more sugar to make the frosting hold its shape with clear cut edges. Beat again until smooth and thick. Add 1½ tablespoons of margarine to keep the frosting from becoming drying out or crumbling. Use good quality, heavier-weight, zippered sandwich bags for your colored frosting in or they can burst. Cut a small piece off one corner of bag for frosting to squeeze through so you can use to decorate like a piping bag. Decorate away!

Fresh Ginger Gingerbread

Fresh ginger adds zest to this wonderfully aromatic and moist gingerbread loaf. If you like your gingerbread on the spicier side, round the ground spices liberally. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

1¼  c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. molasses

1/3 c. milk

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter, melted

1½ Tbsp. fresh ginger root, grated with microplane

1 large egg

For glaze:

1/4 c. confectioners’ sugar

1/2 to 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5” loaf pan. Combine flour, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in bowl. Combine molasses, milk, sugar, butter, ginger, and egg in bowl; beat until thoroughly mixed. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely. In small bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and enough lemon juice for desired consistency. Brush glaze over cooled loaf and serve or wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.

Easy Homemade Ginger Ale

Made with a healthier spin, this tantalizingly tart and sweet, easy homemade ginger ale is a refreshing, 5-ingredient drink that can be ready to enjoy in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients

2 tsp. fresh ginger (1 inch knob of ginger)

4 tsp. lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

4 tsp. lime juice (1 lime)

4 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 c. seltzer

Preparation

Peel a 1-inch nob of ginger root and grate using microplane to yield 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger. Add the fresh ginger to a large shakable container. Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze to yield 4 tsp. and pour in with ginger. Do the same with lime, using both halves to yield 4 tsp. Add maple syrup to the ginger, lemon juice, and lime juice, and mix well. Finally, add seltzer of your choice and pour into glasses over ice to enjoy this delicious, refreshing beverage with the zing of fresh ginger.

Christmas Mule

Fresh herbs and a garnish of sugared cranberries give the traditional ginger beer cocktail a festive holiday twist.

Ingredients:

3-4 rosemary needles

Small pinch of fresh thyme

1 tsp. sugar

2 oz. vodka

2 oz. cranberry juice

4 oz. ginger beer

Sugar-dipped cranberries, for garnish

Fresh herbs, for garnish

Preparation:

In a cocktail shaker, lightly muddle together herbs and sugar. Top with vodka and cranberry juice and shake with ice. Strain into a copper cocktail mug and fill with ice and ginger beer. Garnish with cranberries dusted with sugar and fresh herbs.

Gingerbread Salt Dough Ornaments

These gingerbread cookie-styled ornaments aren’t edible, but the salt dough is made from items found in your pantry and they’ll last for many holidays to come. 

Ingredients:

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. salt

3/4 c. ground cinnamon

1/4 c. ground cloves

1 1/5-2 c. water

15 drops aromatic essential oil (ginger, nutmeg, peppermint)

Preparation:

Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl. Whisk to eliminate any clumps. Set aside 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients to use for rolling out the dough. Fill glass measuring cup with 2 cups of water. Add essential oils. Gradually pour water into dry ingredients, stirring to combine. Use your hands and knead moisture in as you go. Once dough is thoroughly mixed, place on a flat surface dusted with reserved flour mixture to roll out. Roll to 1/4" thick and use cookie cutters to cut dough into shapes. Make sure to make a small hole at the top of each “cookie” so you can string twine or ribbon through to be able to hang the ornaments. Place “cookies” on baking sheet and bake in 300°F oven for 1 hour. Remove and cool thoroughly, then decorate using acrylic paint, paint pens, glue, and glitter.

We hope this dose of history, nostalgia, good health and good cheer, helps make Christmas merry and bright for you and yours. Happy Holidays from the EIL family!