Southern Spicy Gingerbread Food

GINGERBREAD CAKE (SPICY)

Steps:

• Butter a 10-inch (10- to 12-cup) bundt pan well and dust with flour, shaking out excess.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat.
• Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl.
• Whisk together eggs and both sugars.
• Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture.
• Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
• Pour batter into bundt pan and bang pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles.
• Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes.
• Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
• You can serve the gingerbread immediately, dusting lightly with confectioners sugar, and/or adding whipped cream.
• You can also hold the gingerbread for a day before serving, as the flavors develop with some time.

THE SPICIEST GINGERBREAD COOKIES EVER

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes (scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed). Beat in the molasses until combined, then the egg (the mixture will look curdled). Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in 2 pieces, flatten each half into a disk and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Position 2 racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Keeping one disk refrigerated, roll the other disk on a well-floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick, sprinkling flour on and under the dough as needed and sliding a spatula underneath every so often to prevent sticking (If the dough looks crackly or breaks apart, press it back together from the outside edge in). Using cookie cutters, cut out gingerbread shapes as close together as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each shape then use a small offset spatula to transfer the shapes to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Freeze the cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through cooking, until they are slightly firm to the touch but not browned at the edges, about 12 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting and baking with the remaining dough disk.
• Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes (The cookies will continue to firm as they cool).
• Make the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3 tablespoons water in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the frosting thickens, trying not to incorporate too much air. (The icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly.)
• Scrape the icing into a resealable plastic bag and snip the corner to the desired size. Pipe the icing onto the cookies to decorate, as desired, sticking the candy onto the icing while it is still wet. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the icing hardens, at least 1 hour.

SPICED GINGERBREAD MINI CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the spiced gingerbread cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, molasses, sour cream and egg in a large bowl until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk just to combine. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups.
• Bake until puffed and a tester in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then use an offset spatula to ease them out and completely cool.
• For the lemon cream cheese frosting. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Beat until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth, then beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Split the cooled cupcakes in half crosswise. Spread or pipe a little filling on the cut side of each cupcake bottom. Top with the cupcake tops. Spread or pipe the remaining frosting on top of the cupcakes and decorate as desired.

OLD-FASHIONED GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 by 8-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
• Place the rum and raisins in a small pan, cover and heat until the rum boils. Turn off the heat and set aside. Place the butter and molasses in another small pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cool for 5 minutes, then mix in the sour cream and orange zest.
• Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt together in a small bowl. Mix with your hands until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture and mix only until smooth. Drain the raisins and add them and crystallized ginger to the mixture with a spatula. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
• When the cake has cooled, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice and pour it onto the gingerbread, allowing it to drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set. Cut the gingerbread into 9 squares.

SOUTHERN SPICY GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• 1. combine shortening, sugar and molasses
• 2. add eggs and blend
• 3. mix in sifted dry ingredients alternately with hot water
• 4. pour into well greased 8 X 8 baking pan or in muffin tins
• 5. bake in preheated 375 degree oven 25 to 45 minutes

SPICY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Place the butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg and beat until just combined. With the mixer running on low speed, pour the spicy honey slowly into the mixture. Beat until incorporated. It's okay if the mixture looks slightly curdled.
• Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, cayenne, nutmeg, cloves and baking powder in a large bowl. Pour half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Repeat with the remaining half of the dry ingredients and beat until a thick dough comes together. Scrape out and push into a round disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. Dust the work surface, rolling pin and cookie cutters with bench flour. Roll the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick round. Cut the dough into various shapes and place on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake until browned along the edges, about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

SPICY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl sift together first three ingredients.
• With your electric mixture and the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and sugar. Add the spices, then the eggs and molasses. Slowly add flour mixture; combine at a low speed. Divide the dough in to thirds; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Flour your work surface, roll dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut with your favorite cookie cutters into desired shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; refrigerate until firm, approximately 15 minutes.
• Bake until crisp but not darkened, usually 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on wire racks, decorate if you desire, we like ours plain. Eat and enjoy!

FAVORITE OLD FASHIONED GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.