Full confession, we don’t know who Grandma Reimer is. We got this recipe from our friend Katherine Meyer, but we’ve always known these as Grandma Reimer’s Gingerbread Cookies, so that that is what they are. Regardless of whose Grandma came up with the recipe, these gingerbread cookies are a great addition to your family recipe playbook, (we give you full permission to change the name).
Makes about a dozen
Ingredients:
-1 Cup Sugar
-1 Cup shortening*
-1 Cup molasses
-2 large eggs
-2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 Cup hot water
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/2 tsp grated ginger
-1/2 tsp ground cloves
-1 tsp salt
-2 T vinegar
-3 ½ cup-4 Cups flour (plus a little extra for rolling and cutting)
Equipment:
– Mixer**
-Measuring cups/spoons
-Rolling pin
-Cookie Cutters
-Cookie sheet
-Cooling rack***
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Cream the sugar and shortening
Add the molasses and egg mix well
Mix your baking soda and hot water in a small bowl (or large measuring cup) with a fork, then add to the cookie dough. Mix well
Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and vinegar mix well.
Add flour a little bit at a time. You want a dough that sticks together so you can roll it. If it’s a little too creamy add a little flour but remember that these are cut cookies, so you will also be adding a little flour in the rolling process.
Flour your rolling surface (how much? Um, some. We usually start with a handful of flour and evenly coat the surface with a thin layer)
Turn the dough out onto your rolling surface.
Rub your rolling pin with flour and roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness.
Cut the desired shapes with your (floured) cookie cutters.
Place cookie shapes onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 -10 minutes. If you are solely using these for décor let them bake a little on the longer side, if you want them soft and edible take them out a little early and let them finish cooking on the cooling rack.
*shortening has a bad rep we know. You can use butter, but honestly you can use vegetable shortening or butter flavored shortening. Shortening is shelf stable, and much easier to work with than butter, and you need less of it. In fact we are not going to tell you the conversion, if you really want to break our hearts and use butter or oil you need to look it up yourself, so there!
**you can make this recipe without a mixer, it’s just harder.
***We use a roasting rack that we either line with wax paper or foil. It works great if you don’t have a cooling rack.