November's Bakeoff! Gingerbread Fun!

[Triniel]

It's Grandma Marshall's Gingy Pudding Cake!

[Triniel]

It's Grandma Marshall's Gingy Puddin' Cake!

[Dusk]

I'm gonna make mine today once the roommies are done with their pancakes - but I'm posting here so I remember where the thread is. I spent ten minutes looking through the Non-Mizahar discussions before it occurred to me to look here. XD

[Cayenne]

Alright, here's mine!

Behold! Gingerbread. I love it. I was going to do a house, but you know... I would devour every scrap of candy on it and go into a diabetic coma. Can't have that, so. Here we go.

More pictures under here! :

Preferred flour. This is basically what I use for everything these days... works as great as regular all-purpose and I at least feel a little less guilty about eating baked goodies:


Supposed to sift all the dry ingredients together... but, shockingly (don't laugh, Jen!) I don't have a flour sifter. Colour me shocked!


No harm, no foul. Use the whisk!


Adding the molasses to the margarine, sugar, egg, and water:


This is seriously one of my favourite kitchen tools ever. Spatula, lifter, spoon... it's more flexible than a spatula and it's usable as a lifter. I'm guilty of having two of them:


Rolled, dipped in sugar and flattened: ready for the oven!


First batch out of the oven and on the rack:

The final product! On a plate and waiting to be devoured... let me tell you, they are goooooood.




And here's the recipe:

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes two dozen.

Mangiamo!

[Tarot]

Thunderspork

(kudos to Dusk for coming up with the idea of a spork medal a long time ago!)

Cayenne already got hers for her third participation. Anyone else?

[Dusk]

Hehehe! Love the Thunderspork! Mine is in the oven, coming out in ten minutes, and then you will all have pictures to drool over.

PS: My whole house smells like gingerbread. OMGYUM.

[Dusk]

Okay, here is the amazing wonderful awesome Caramelized Pear Gingerbread! This is something I used to have in New Orleans, and I managed to find Emeril's recipe for it so it's extra-authentic. Although I seriously adjusted his recipe and doubled all the spices needed, and didn't use pecans because I hate nuts in bread. Because someone told me that the key to gingerbread is to put waaaaay more spices than the recipe calls for. The recipe below is what I actually used for spices, so I wouldn't double it AGAIN if I were you!

Recipe under the spoiler! :

This is what it's supposed to look like, but I don't have the right pan for that. However, I'ma get me one next week.



Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
* 3 large, firm-ripe pears, such as Bosc, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
* 1/4 cup light brown sugar
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
* 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup cane syrup or molasses
* 3/4 cup boiling water
* 5 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger

Directions

In a large skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the pears and cook until the pears are tender and slightly caramelized, but still retain their shape, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. (You may need to cook the pears in 2 batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.) When the pears begin to have a nice color on both sides, add the brown sugar and pecans and cook, stirring gently, to coat the pears with the sugar. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, and using the 2 teaspoons of butter, lightly grease a 10-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides. Arrange the slightly cooled pears and pecans in a single layer in the bottom of the cake pan. Pour any syrup from caramelizing into the cake pan as well.

Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, molasses, and boiling water. Add sugar mixture to the flour mixture, blending just until combined. Fold the crystallized ginger into the batter and pour into the prepared pan over the pears.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake portion comes out clean. Allow cake to cool. Place a large plate or cake stand on top of the cake and carefully invert the cake. Cool slightly and serve with ice cream!

[Tebridiar]

Omg I want to eat that so badly...

[Triniel]

For the fork, can you award it under Alodian? He already has one

[Stitch]

Secret :

Here are mine! They are by no means done, but I wanted to get a picture up by the deadline. They are just a test batch, to make sure the dough was baking up alright. My girlfriend wanted to do the gingerbread men with me tomorrow, so those will be up sometime tomorrow night. <3

Recipe! :

Gingerbread Men:

3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses (To prevent molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray.)

Confectioners Frosting:

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons milk or light cream

Assorted food colors (if desired)