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grandmother ada's gingerbread-my father's favorite

(7 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Kathleen Hagood
Gorman, TX

Father's Day is near, so I thought of gingerbread. I began baking as a child, and this is one of the first things I baked. It was one of my father's two favorite things in the world. (See Mama's Blackberry Cobbler for the other.) No matter how I did, he always said my gingerbread was wonderful. I can't make this without crying because it was something that daddy and I shared, and I lost him in 2001. Daddy loved it with real butter slathered on it. (My mother got this recipe from her sister and I have never known who Grandmother Ada was, but she deserves credit for this terrific recipe.)

Blue Ribbon Recipe

One bite and we see why this was Kathleen's father's favorite gingerbread - it's amazing. Soft and fluffy with the perfect blend of spices. This would be great served as a light dessert or even a special snack. Definitely a memorable recipe!

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(7 ratings)
yield 13 x 9 baking dish
prep time 20 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For grandmother ada's gingerbread-my father's favorite

  • 1/2 c
    butter, softened
  • 1/2 c
    sugar, granulated
  • 1 lg
    egg, well beaten
  • 1 c
    molasses (we used dark)
  • 2 1/2 c
    sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    ground cloves
  • 1 tsp
    ground ginger (I have never tried it with fresh grated.)
  • 1 tsp
    cinnamon, ground
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    baking soda
  • 1 c
    hot water

How To Make grandmother ada's gingerbread-my father's favorite

  • Butter, sugar, molasses, and eggs mixed in a bowl.
    1
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten egg and molasses, mixing well.
  • Flour and other dry ingredients mixed in a bowl with wet ingredients.
    2
    Sift dry ingredients and add to the first mixture. Mix slightly.
  • Hot water added to the batter in a clear bowl.
    3
    Add hot water and beat until smooth.
  • Batter poured into a baking dish on top of the oven.
    4
    Pour into lightly greased pan (I use butter). Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes.
  • Baked gingerbread out of the oven.
    5
    This is best served still warm with butter. We usually sliced it open like a biscuit and put butter in the middle to melt. (If daddy had known how microwaves would have made it easy to heat up the gingerbread after it was cold, he probably would have owned a microwave before the 1990s, and he could have eaten the whole pan hot with butter melting on it just as if it were right from the oven.)
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