This Ornamental Gingerbread recipe, featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer on December 11, 1988, is a classic take on the traditional gingerbread used for making festive decorations and cookies. Though gingerbread recipes have been around for centuries, this version is tailored for crafting ornamental pieces that can be used to decorate your home for the holidays or create delightful, spiced cookies. The recipe combines the warm, aromatic spices of ginger, cinnamon, mace, cloves, and cardamom with molasses and a rich mix of sugars to create a dough that’s both flavorful and durable—perfect for rolling, cutting, and shaping into festive forms. Whether you’re making gingerbread men, stars, or intricate houses, this recipe offers the ideal balance of sweetness and spice, making it a holiday favorite year after year.
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Gingerbread Recipe
Food History
Gingerbread, with its deep roots in European baking, has long been associated with holiday traditions, particularly Christmas. The first known gingerbread recipe dates back to medieval Europe, where it was used not only as a food but also as a decorative element. Gingerbread was originally made in monasteries, where it was shaped into religious symbols and figures. By the 16th century, gingerbread had become a popular treat across Europe, with regional variations in both ingredients and forms.
The tradition of using gingerbread to create ornaments and decorative structures, such as gingerbread houses, is believed to have originated in Germany. These edible decorations became particularly popular during the holiday season, when families would bake gingerbread and shape it into festive forms. The gingerbread was often adorned with icing, candies, and other decorations, transforming it into both a delicious treat and a beautiful holiday decoration.
In America, gingerbread has been a cherished part of holiday baking for centuries. This particular Ornamental Gingerbread recipe, which dates back to earlier decades and was featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, continues the tradition of creating spiced, aromatic dough that’s perfect for crafting both edible and non-edible decorations. The recipe’s balance of spices, sweetness, and durability makes it ideal for everything from simple cookies to more elaborate gingerbread houses.
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Timeline
- Medieval Europe: Gingerbread originates as a spiced bread, often used for medicinal purposes. Over time, it evolves into a popular treat, particularly in Germany, where it is shaped into decorative forms and used as holiday ornaments.
- 16th Century: Gingerbread becomes associated with Christmas and other holidays, with families baking and decorating gingerbread cookies and houses as part of their seasonal celebrations.
- 19th Century: The tradition of creating gingerbread houses becomes widespread in Germany and other European countries, later spreading to America.
- 20th Century: Gingerbread becomes a staple of holiday baking in the United States, with recipes like this one from The Philadelphia Inquirer preserving the tradition of making ornamental gingerbread.
- Present Day: Ornamental gingerbread remains a beloved holiday tradition, with families around the world continuing to bake and decorate gingerbread cookies and houses during the festive season.
Recipe Discussion
The Ornamental Gingerbread recipe is designed to create a sturdy yet flavorful dough that can be shaped into various forms. The dough begins with a blend of flour and spices, including ginger, cinnamon, mace, cloves, and cardamom, mixed with baking soda and salt to create a spiced flour mixture. This combination of spices gives the gingerbread its signature warmth and depth of flavor, while the baking soda helps the dough rise slightly, making it easier to work with.
The wet ingredients—margarine (or lard/shortening), molasses, and granulated and brown sugars—are melted together in a large, heavy kettle over low heat. It’s important to keep the heat low to avoid bubbling the molasses, which could result in a dry, difficult-to-work-with dough. Once the wet ingredients are smooth, the spiced flour mixture is stirred in, creating a rich, spiced dough.
After the dough has cooled to a tepid temperature, additional flour is added until it reaches the desired consistency. The final dough should be smooth, pliable, and only slightly sticky, with a greasy feel that makes it easy to roll and shape. This versatile dough can be used immediately or stored later, making it perfect for extended holiday baking projects.
When ready to bake, the dough can be rolled out and cut into shapes or used like modeling clay to create more intricate designs. The dough is durable enough to maintain its shape during baking, and the finished gingerbread can be decorated with icing, candies, or other edible embellishments. Whether making cookies, ornaments, or a gingerbread house, this recipe provides the perfect base for all your holiday creations.
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Preparation Tips
- Melting the Wet Ingredients: Melt the margarine, molasses, and sugars over low heat, stirring constantly to ensure a smooth mixture. Avoid boiling the mixture, as this can cause the dough to become dry and difficult to work with.
- Flour Consistency: Be cautious when adding the flour after the dough has cooled. The dough should be slightly sticky but not too dry. Remember that it will firm up as it cools, so avoid adding too much flour at once.
- Baking Time: Adjust the baking time according to the thickness of your gingerbread pieces. Thicker pieces should be baked at a lower temperature for a longer period to ensure they bake evenly without burning.
Recommended Kitchen Items
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- Rolling Pin: A good rolling pin is essential for evenly rolling out the gingerbread dough to your desired thickness.
- Cookie Cutters: A variety of cookie cutters allow you to create different shapes and designs, perfect for making festive ornaments and cookies.
- Parchment Paper: Parchment paper helps prevent the gingerbread from sticking to the baking sheet, making it easier to transfer the finished pieces.
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Serving Suggestions
- With Royal Icing: Decorate the gingerbread with royal icing to create intricate designs and add a festive touch. The icing also acts as a glue for constructing gingerbread houses.
- As Holiday Ornaments: Use a small skewer to poke a hole in the top of each gingerbread shape before baking, then thread a ribbon through the hole to hang the ornaments on your tree.
- Paired with Hot Cocoa: Serve the gingerbread cookies alongside a cup of hot cocoa or mulled cider for a warm, cozy treat during the holiday season.
Celebrate the Holidays with Ornamental Gingerbread
Ornamental Gingerbread is a holiday classic that brings the warmth of spiced dough and the joy of creative baking into your home. Whether you’re making cookies, ornaments, or an elaborate gingerbread house, this recipe provides the perfect foundation for your festive creations. With its rich blend of spices and molasses, this gingerbread is both delicious and durable, making it ideal for all your holiday baking needs. Enjoy the process of rolling, cutting, and decorating, and savor the delicious results that will fill your home with the comforting aromas of the season.
December 12th is National Gingerbread House Day—time to spice things up! Whether you’re building a house or baking cookies, get ready for all things gingerbread and festive!
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Vintage Recipe Box 200 Overview
The box this recipe for Ornamental Gingerbread was in contains many fun recipes. Click here to view all 200 Vintage Recipe Box recipes from Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and to learn more about the history of the recipe box.
Ornamental Gingerbread Recipe
Ornamental Gingerbread (VRP 200)
Ingredients
- 7 to 9 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons ginger
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons mace
- 2 teaspoons cloves
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound margarine or 1½ cups lard or solid shortening
- 2 1/4 cups molasses
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine five cups of the flour with the ginger, cinnamon, mace, cloves, cardamom, baking soda and salt, stirring with a wire whip until you are positive the mixture is even. Set aside.
- Put the margarine, molasses and sugars in a large, heavy kettle over low heat, and cook, stirring, only until the meltables have melted and the mixture is smooth. Keep the heat low enough so the molasses doesn't bubble, or the finished dough will be dry and hard to work with.
- Remove the kettle from the heat and stir in the spiced flour. Let the mixture cool until it's tepid, then work in additional flour until you have a soft, rather greasy-feeling dough that is smooth and pliable and only slightly sticky. It will continue to firm up as it cools, so be sparing with the flour. You can always knead in a bit more.
- Let the dough cool to room temperature before use. It needn't be dealt with all at once; just wrap the unused portion tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to two months or freeze more or less forever.
- To form and bake, either roll and cut, or use like modeling clay, keeping unfinished cookies of even thickness, not more than one-third of an inch. When joining two pieces, lightly moisten the bond with water. Place on parchment-covered or lightly greased baking sheets, and bake in a 350-degrees oven for 10 to 25 minutes, depending on thickness. Bake very thick cookies longer and slower - at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or more. Makes about 50 to 60 cookies, each three or four inches wide and a bit less than a quarter-inch thick, or about 225 small and edibly thin ones.