Gingerbread Recipe

My mother has this great recipe for gingerbread. It's firm enough for houses, yet soft enough to eat without breaking your teeth.

Melanie's Gingerbread Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 cups of flower
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 12oz jar of Grandmas Molasses
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Royal Icing
• Candies, frosting (either store-bought or homemade), fondant for decorating.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix flour, ginger, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Cream shortening and sugar in mixer with paddle attachment. Add molasses and lightly beaten eggs. Blend well. Switch to dough hook. Gradually add dry ingredients. Knead in remaining flour, if necessary. Chill dough 1 hour for best rolling results.
• Line sheet pans with parchment paper. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick directly onto cookie sheets. Cut patterns, removing excess dough. Chill 10 minutes in freezer before baking. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Start checking at 8 min. The small pieces naturally cook faster then larger pieces.
• Re-cut pieces after baking for even edges while they are still hot. Let cookies cool on sheet pan.
• Next decorate your cookies or assemble your house however you would like.

Tips

• Put like sizes on the same cookies. This helps with even cooking.
• If it spreads too much you're batter is too moist.