Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

grandma's old time gingerbread boys

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Bonnie Beck
Route 66, AZ

My Mom made this every Christmas & I have kept up with the tradition. It's an easy tradition for me as I love gingerbread. Mom always decorated them with red hots for the buttons & raisins for the eyes. I still use my Mom's original gingerbread boy cookie cutter. I have a small gingerbread boy cookie cutter my brother Nick gave me in a bake set when I was little, 1957 Christmas. It's become a Christmas tradition I make both of the size cookies. I still have the little rolling pin and the little cake pan from the bake set. One day my Mom's recipe & the cookie cutter will be framed.

(1 rating)
yield serving(s)
cook time 10 Min
method Convection Oven

Ingredients For grandma's old time gingerbread boys

  • 1/2 c
    crisco shortening
  • 1/2 c
    brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 c
    dark molasses
  • 1/2 c
    buttermilk or sour milk
  • 1/2 tsp
    apple cider vinegar
  • 3 1/2 c
    flour, sifted and then measured
  • 1 tsp
    baking soda
  • 1-2 tsp
    ground ginger
  • 2 tsp
    cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 1/2 tsp
    ground white pepper (optional)
  • red hot candies for decorating (optional
  • raisins for decorating (optional)
  • frosting for decorating (optional)

How To Make grandma's old time gingerbread boys

  • 1
    Fluff all dry ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk.
  • 2
    Cream shortening and brown sugar together. Add some of the dry mixture. Stir well. Add the molasses and stir well. Add more of the flour mixture and stir well again. Add the vinegar. Mix. Add some of the buttermilk and mix, then add more flour mixture and the rest of the buttermilk and flour mixture. Mix well.
  • 3
    Form into a roll or patty and wrap in WAXPAPER. Chill over night. Preheat oven to 375*. Roll out on a lightly flour surface. Cut with lightly floured cookie cutters.
  • 4
    Place on none greased cookies sheets. Bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a rack or brown paper bag. Decorate with red hot candies and raisins. Or decorate with icing.
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