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Would You Rather Eat Gingerbread or Sugar Cookies?

partysugar — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:30:42 -0800

52 Weeks of Baking: Gingerbread

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:31:31 -0800

CasaSugar and I recently got into a debate over who could make the best gingerbread house. I hadn't actually made one from scratch ever, and was about 10 years old when I last put one together. However neither of these things stopped me from talking up how great my house would be. I had the best plans and great ideas; only problem was I didn't have a recipe and didn't know where to begin. So I did some research, rolled up my sleeves, and started mixing. The recipe I found - from Bon Appétit - actually makes way more gingerbread than necessary for one house. With all the leftover dough I decided to make a few gingerbread men. Only problem was, I didn't actually have a gingerbread-man cutter. So I used a knife and freestyled.

The end result was a gingerbread man with one arm larger than the other. I fixed that problem by piping on an icing cast. His neck also received a hairline fracture because I moved it to the cooling rack before it was ready. I covered this up by piping a little tie on him. And since he had a tie, I felt he needed a cellphone, too. No matter what you end up doing, just have a good time. I'm going to share details on my house later this week, and now I'm off to invest in a good gingerbread-man cookie cutter!

To get the gingerbread recipe I used, read more.

Gingerbread (for House or Men)
From Bon Appetit, 2000

For Gingerbread
6 3/4 cups all purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups solid vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup robust (dark) molasses

For Icing
4 large egg whites
7 to 7 1/2 cups powdered white sugar

Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cardamom into medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat shortening in large bowl until fluffy.
Add sugar and beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add molasses and beat on high speed until well blended.
Add dry ingredients in 4 additions, beating at low speed until dough forms.
Divide dough into 6 equal pieces [this is perfect for a house, and a good idea for cookies]. Flatten each piece into rectangle. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 6 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
When dough is ready, preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out 1 dough piece (keep remaining dough refrigerated) between two 15-inch-long sheets of parchment to scant 1/4-inch rectangle, turning over dough and parchment occasionally. If parchment wrinkles, peel off, smooth wrinkle and reposition parchment over dough; continue to roll out dough to required thickness.
Cut into desired shapes. The easiest way is to remove the excess dough from the bottom parchment paper and slide the entire parchment paper sheet (with cut-out cookies) onto baking sheet.I didn't have a cookie cutter, so I free-styled.
Bake until dry looking, firm to touch in center and just beginning to darken around edges, about 13 minutes. Note: this is the perfect time for house pieces, which you want to be a bit dryer, for individual cookies, start checking around 9 minutes.
Slide parchment with gingerbread onto rack and cool completely. Rinse baking sheet under cold water to cool; wipe dry. Continue with rest of dough/cookies.
While cookies are cooling, make icing. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until very foamy, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. Add remaining cups sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until well blended after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
Beat icing at high speed until very thick and stiff, about 5 minutes.
Place icing into pastry bag with a small round pastry tip.
Use icing to decorate cookies or adhere gingerbread house pieces together.

Note: If concerned about salmonella, use egg white powder instead of egg whites.

Print recipe with images | without images

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8 Awe-Inspiring Holiday Cookies

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:00:19 -0800

If you haven't warmed up to the holidays yet, it might be because you haven't been reminded of the delight that one experiences upon spotting a jaw-dropping Christmas cookie. Whether you're in the mood for a sugar-and-spice gingerbread house or an ooey-gooey peanut butter chocolate caramel cookie, these baked treats are sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

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Yum's December Must Haves

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:01:39 -0800

The holiday season has arrived and if your house is like mine, there's bound to be loads of cooking, baking and fun. Of course, this also means there's room for stress and freneticism; so to help you make it through December in one piece, I've rounded up a few holiday must haves.

If you're planning on doing a lot of baking this season, invest in a three-tier cooling rack ($10.99). It will triple the amount of counter space and the grids securely hold even small items without letting them slip through the cracks.
Brighten up your holiday baking with this Holiday-Red cookie sheet ($24.95). It also comes with a must have set of holiday-themed cookie cutters.
If you're more of a candy maker than a cookie baker, then take a look at a reliable candy thermometer ($14.95). Make sure you get one that doesn't touch the bottom of the pan and has an accurate temperature reading.
Make your guests smile with these 12 Days of Christmas appetizer plates ($98).
Retire your traditional menorah and spruce up your festivities with Jonathan Adler's Skyline Menorah ($130).
And finally, what house is complete without a miniature gingerbread house? Choose from a modern design ($77) or a more classic one. Or, surprise your family by creating your own and entering our gingerbread house challenge!

Who Needs a Terracotta Army When There's a "Pannacotta" One?

YumSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:01:33 -0700

Twenty of China's famous Terracotta soldiers are currently on display at the British Museum in London. The exhibit, which runs until April 6, 2008, is the largest of its kind outside of China.

So what do terracotta soldiers have to do with food? The folks at The Pastry Case bakery have created their own army. Dubbed "The Pannacotta Army" - although no pannacotta is actually involved - the army consists of over 200 miniature gingerbread warriors, each in their own battle garb.

According to a press release, Kelly Burgess of Roberts Bakery/The Pastry Case said:

"We have been amazed at the interest shown in the Terracotta army and wanted to treat Cheshire visitors to a private viewing, so we came up with our own idea of the Pannacotta Army."

The army will be on display at the Nantwich Food and Drink Festival in Cheshire County, UK.

I'd love to see the terracotta soldiers, but think a gingerbread army is fantastic too. What do you think?

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Mid-Century Modern Gingerbread House

YumSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:56:19 -0800

The other day, CasaSugar asked you which Sugar HQ gingerbread house you preferred. Many of you said PartySugar's Lagito Cabin Gingerbread House, but my Mid-Century Modern charmed some of you folks as well. Earlier you got the step-by-step for hers, so today I thought I'd give you the step-by-step for mine. And if it inspires you then join us! We're currently asking you to submit your own gingerbread house!

I started off by creating my concept. Once I had the crude drawing, I got some scraps of cardboard and created a life-size model. If you're going to create your own house, I recommend you doing the same. The cardboard pieces will be used to cut out each wall piece.

To get the rest of my steps and up close pictures of each side and all the components, read more

Once I had my cardboard creation standing, I rolled out my chilled gingerbread between two pieces of parchment paper. Then I took the pieces of cardboard and put them on top of rolled out gingerbread (on top of the parchment paper). I then used a sharp knife to trace the cardboard. Once traced, I removed the cardboard and top sheet of parchment paper. Next I removed the excess dough and placed the entire piece of parchment paper (with dough) onto a baking sheet and baked according to directions.
This method is the best, easiest and cleanest, however, it uses quite a bit of parchment paper, make sure you have an entire roll.

When the gingerbread had cooled (at least 6 hours to make sure it is firm) and the icing had been made. I put the pieces together. Start by creating two adjacent walls in order to create an L shape.
If your gingerbread gets covered in white icing, wipe it off immediately if possible. You may want to use a damp towel to "wash" it.
Make sure your gingerbread house is standing before you stick the decor on. You may want to build the house and let it sit overnight.
To create the modern looking roof, I covered the roof pieces in icing and applied a thick layer of crumbled Oreo cookies. I pulverized the Oreos in a food processor first.

The Christmas tree was created by stacking Oreos with a layer of icing in between each one. I then used a sharp knife to shape the tree. Next I took green icing/frosting and slathered it with my hands.
Thin sour belts make for great decorating. They are easy to cut with scissors and can be adhered with a small amount of icing. It also works for easy grass covering!
To create the flowers, I sliced gummi bears into thinner pieces. I liked the way the sour gummi bears had a difference in color on the outside and inside.
I originally tried to make the wreath on the outside with store-bought cake decorating icing. Unfortunately, the texture would not work vertically and my wreath soon "melted" down the side of my gingerbread wall. I was too lazy to create a green colored batch of icing, so I used regular white icing and then applied the store-bought on top of that.

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Here Comes the Neighborhood! (Part 2)

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:13:31 -0800

When we asked for your own gingerbread-house creations, I was surprised by the number of entries. There were 30 of them, and each one is fantastic! If you missed it, we posted the first fifteen entries this morning, but now it's time for the next fifteen! This set covers everything from a beach hut to a concert stage, including a replica Snoopy dog house! To check out the neighborhood, read more.

Entry #16
Tracy in Rochester, N.Y. sends this seemingly normal gingerbread house. However, if you look closer you'll see the dog relieving itself and the snowmen beating each other up!

Entry #17
Stacy and her crew in Janesville, Wis. sent us this delightful home complete with flags and a pinwheel garden.

Entry #18
In our second train entry, Erin in Mass. takes us for a ride on The Jolly Express.

Entry #19
TeamSugar member kgiuffre sends us this cute mini gingerbread house from Md.

Entry #20
Noelle from Luvit took a stab at a two-story house. Love it and the trees!

Entry #21
Blair from the Blair Necessities sends us an entire gingerbread village, including a train to visit other villages!

Entry #22
Out of Pleasanton, Calif. comes Grant's gingerbread stage, complete with performers. Nice concept!

Entry #23
Baking Soda sends us this tall, snow-capped house all the way from The Netherlands!

Entry #24
This untraditional beach hut comes from Tammy in Ariz. I love the SOS-styled message!

Entry #25
TeamSugar member biochemlovely sent us her rendition of a gingerbread White House. I love the jelly-candy grass!

Entry #26
This nice, little modern bungalow comes from Cicely in LA. I like the coffee bean landscaping.

Entry #27
Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen sends us this marshmallow-world gingerbread house complete with a tiny, cookie shack.

Entry #28
TeamSugar majikiss sends us this adorable gingerbread version of Snoopy's doghouse. Be sure to check out the other photos or you'll miss out on Charlie Brown.

Entry #29
Heather from I Love Tongs sends us her version of a modern gingerbread house. You guys know I love modern houses!

Entry #30
Jessica from Princess in the Kitchen sends us this adorable cottage all the way from Australia. I love the way the chimney turned out!

Entry #31
Finally, our very own dannysf sent us his giant gingerbread creation! Okay, just kidding! He spied this one in Las Vegas, but it was so beautiful and too funny I had to share!

Thanks again to everyone who participated, don't miss out on the first fifteen entries! All the details are on the other page, but you can always check out the gallery below!

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The Lagito Cabin Gingerbread House

partysugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:30:00 -0800

After twelve hours, five emergency trips to the grocery store, three batches of royal frosting, and two house threatening crises, my log gingerbread snow cabin with frozen lake was completed and ready to enter the challenge. Let's hope it wins the the SugarHQ best gingerbread house contest!

It was a tough, time consuming project, but the final result - an amazingly cute gingerbread house - was well worth the effort. I couldn't have done it without the expertise of an incredibly creative friend, the support of very loving parents, and the candy from a recently opened old-school candy shop. To check out a gallery of images of The Lagito Cabin and learn more about the house making process - along with my tips for future builders - read more

Use a recipe that produces a large quantity of dough. I used Martha Stewart's dark molasses gingerbread cookie recipe. I made the dough the night before, allowing enough time to chill.
From start to finish it takes a lot of time to make a stylish yet classic gingerbread house so if you are entering our challenge keep this in mind.

Stock up on supplies before you begin to make the house. Parchment paper and powdered sugar are a few of the items that had to be picked up at the grocery store in the middle of the project.

Problem solve! My dog Lacey ate a chunk of the roof so we had to patch up the hole with a chocolate graham cracker and frosting.
Get creative. My design consultant made a separate trip to the candy store for inspiration. It was easy to shop for the candy once we knew what we were doing.
Go to a candy store where you can purchase candy in bulk. We needed only one Nerd for the doorknob. Instead of buying an entire box of Nerds we bought one.
Have fun! It was an all day event so we made sure to have delicious Irish blue cheese and crackers, crab salad on crostini, and gambas al ajillo for snacking. We also had cocktails, red wine, and tons of Christmas music to get us in the mood.

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Think You Know Your Classic Christmas Cookies?

YumSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:30:17 -0800

It seems like many of you know your classic Christmas sweets, but holiday cookies are another beast altogether. Spritzers, linzers, gingerbread, crinkles - sure you can eat them, but can you identify them just as well? You'll find out when you take our quiz.

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Yummy Links: From Nigella Lawson to Recalled Beef

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 07:52:31 -0800

Why do people think Nigella Lawson is fat? - Chow
Did you know you could clean a red wine spill with white wine? - CasaSugar
Todd English shares his recipe for Chestnut Risotto with Nantucket Bay Scallops. - Secret Sauce
Can it really be Hanukkah if there isn't any chocolate gelt? - FitSugar

It should come as no big surprise, but it actually does cost more to eat healthy. - New York Times
Everyone loves to eat! Here's a whole batch of gourmet gift ideas for everyone. - iVillage

If there's a pizza fan on your list, check out this pizza making at home gift guide. - Slice

Sick of regular gingerbread men? Try these pre-bitten gingerbread cookie cutters instead. - Baking Bites
Where's the safe beef? Ground beef recalls are up in 2007. - The Kitchn