Best Colonial Williamsburg Gingerbread Cakes Recipes

OLD-FASHIONED WILLIAMSBURG GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Old-Fashioned Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies image

Take a step back in time with a classic holiday treat! These simple and delicious old-fashioned Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies (or "ginger cakes") have been loved for generations -- and you will soon discover why!

Provided by Blair Lonergan

Time 40m

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened at room temperature
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (plus additional 1 -1 ½ cups of flour, as needed, to form a workable dough)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
Add softened butter, evaporated milk, and molasses. With an electric mixer, start on the lowest speed so that the liquid doesn't splash out of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed until the butter and sugar are creamed together and completely smooth.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add 4 cups of flour (one cup at a time), mixing until the flour is incorporated.
The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to your fingers, so if it's still too wet and sticky, add additional flour (½ cup at a time), just until a fairly stiff dough comes together.
When the dough is smooth, roll it out to ½-inch thickness on a very well-floured surface.
Use a 2 ½-inch round biscuit cutter (or other cookie cutter) to cut the dough into round shapes. Continue to add as much flour as necessary to the dough, the rolling pin, and the cookie cutters to prevent the dough from sticking. Place shapes onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden brown but still soft. Make sure that you don't bake them for too long or they will become hard and crispy. To maintain the soft, chewy, cake-like texture, pull them out of the often while they're still soft and let them firm up slightly while they cool.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 large cookie, Calories 195 kcal, Carbohydrate 32 g, Protein 3 g, Fat 7 g, SaturatedFat 4 g, TransFat 1 g, Cholesterol 18 mg, Sodium 195 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 16 g, UnsaturatedFat 3 g

COLONIAL WILLIAMBURG GINGER COOKIES

Colonial Williamburg Ginger Cookies image

One of my favorite places in Virginia is Colonial Williamsburg. I am descended from Gabriel Maupin who owned The Market Square Tavern. I love the Ginger Bread Cookies that they sell down the street behind the Raleigh Tavern, so much that I wrote and begged for the recipe. I made a double batch last Christmas and the kids...

Provided by Joanne Watson

Categories Cookies

Time 45m

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 c sugar
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c butter or margarine, melted
1/2 c evaporated milk
1 c unsulfered molasses
4 c stone-ground or unbleached flour, unsifted

Steps:

1. Combine the sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
2. Add the melted butter/margarine, evaporated milk, and molasses. Mix well.
3. Add the flour 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to fingers.
4. Knead the dough for a smoother texture. Add up to ½ cup additional flour if needed to prevent sticking.
5. When the dough is smooth, roll it out ¼ inch thick on a floured surface and cut it into cookies. You may roll the dough slightly thicker if you desire a taller cookie.
6. Bake on floured or greased cookie sheets in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes. The cookies are done if they spring back when touched.