Strawberry Gingerbread Food

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium high speed until combined and creamy-looking. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The butter may separate; that's ok.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Please see photo and description above in my post. Chill discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I always chill mine overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
• Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. Roll out disc until 1/4-inch thick. Tips for rolling- the dough may crack and be crumbly as you roll. What's helpful is picking it up and rotating it as you go. Additionally, you can use your fingers to help meld the cracking edges back together. The first few rolls are always the hardest since the dough is so stiff, but re-rolling the scraps is much easier. Cut into shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with remaining disc of dough.
• Bake cookies for about 9-10 minutes. If your cookie cutters are smaller than 4 inches, bake for about 8 minutes. If your cookie cutters are larger than 4 inches, bake for about 11 minutes. My oven has hot spots and yours may too- so be sure to rotate the pan once during bake time. Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they'll be. For soft gingerbread cookies, follow my suggested bake times.
• Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, decorate as desired.
• Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

STRAWBERRY GINGERSNAP ICEBOX CAKE

Steps:

• Set aside half the strawberries, choosing the smallest, prettiest ones. They'll be used for serving. Hull the remaining berries.
• Using a blender or food processor, purée the hulled strawberries, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. You should have about 2/3 cup of purée.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer set on low speed, whisk together strawberry purée, mascarpone, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, 3/4 teaspoon lime zest and the lime juice. Once the cream mixture is combined, but not fully whipped, taste and add more confectioners' sugar if necessary (this will depend on how sweet your strawberries are). Whip to medium-stiff peaks.
• On a serving platter, lay 2 rows of 4 cookies (for a total of 8) in a rectangle. Spread 1/2 cup cream mixture over the cookies, spreading it to the edges. Top with another 8 cookies, and spread with another 1/2 cup cream. Repeat 2 more times, so you have 4 layers of cookies. Top with remaining cream, spreading it along the sides like frosting. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours, and preferably overnight.
• Half an hour before serving, hull and quarter remaining strawberries (cut them in eighths, if they're large). Toss berries in a medium bowl with granulated sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon lime zest and the ginger. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 hour; they should release their juices, which will turn syrupy from the sugar. Taste and add more lime zest, ginger and a squeeze of lime juice, if you like.
• Just before serving, arrange strawberries on top of the cake and drizzle with accumulated syrupy juices. Serve at once, cutting cake into slices.

OLD-FASHIONED GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour bottom and sides of square pan, 9x9x2 inches.
• Beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
• Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool.

STRAWBERRY GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Chop strawberries, sprinkle with sugar, mix well, cover and refrigerate for an hour.
• Grease and flour a 12x8x2 baking dish.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• With electric beater, beat together oil, 1 cup sugar, salt and molasses.
• Beat in egg.
• In separate bowl combine flour, spices and baking soda.
• Drain strawberries if any liquid, dredge berries with 2 tablespoons of flour mixture.
• Add remaining flour mixture to first mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition.
• Stir in strawberries.
• Pour into baking dish.
• Sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cut into squares and serve warm with butter or whipped cream -- or serve later cold.

GLAZED STRAWBERRY COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until blended. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, gelatin, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually beat into creamed mixture. , Divide dough into four portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 375°. For filling, in a small bowl, beat jelly and confectioners' sugar. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. round cookie cutter. Place about 1/2 teaspoon filling in center of half of the cookies. Cover with remaining cookies. Press edges with a fork to seal. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling., Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., In a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over cookies; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator., Freeze option: Transfer wrapped disks to a resealable plastic freezer bag; freeze. To use, thaw dough in refrigerator until soft enough to roll. Prepare filling and cookies. Bake and decorate as directed.

BEST-EVER GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Set oven to 350°.
• In a bowl, combine sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
• Stir in the oil, then the molasses, mixing well.
• Mix soda with boiling water and immediately stir into the mixture.
• Gradually blend in the flour, to prevent lumping.
• Then mix in eggs.
• Turn into greased 9 x 13x2-inch pan and bake in a 350° oven about 40-45 minutes.

GUILT-FREE GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the lower third of oven. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with waxed paper, then spray the paper. Dust the entire pan with flour and shake out the excess.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, turbinado sugar, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together molasses, eggs, oil, and buttermilk.
• Dissolve baking soda in the cup of boiling water. Fold the baking soda and molasses mixtures into dry ingredients until combined. (Do not overmix.) Fold in the minced ginger.
• Scrape batter into the prepared baking pan; bake until cake is set around edges and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

STRAWBERRY-GINGER SMASH

Steps:

• In a pitcher, muddle strawberries with ginger. Add lemon juice and vodka. Fill with ice and stir until cold. Pour into glasses; top with ginger beer. Serve with more strawberries and thin slices of ginger.