1 1 cup of sugar
2 Add in 3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 Measure out 1 Tablespoon of coriander seeds
4 Coriander seeds in spice grinder.
5 Ground coriander seeds.
6 Ground ginger for the gingerbread/cookie mix.
7 Sugar, baking powder, ginger, and coriander in the bowl ready for more additions.
8 Beautiful, fragrant ground cinnamon.
9 Add ground mustard powder for an extra- spicy kick.
10 Ground cloves, like ginger, a warm spice.
11 And salt too.
12 Baking soda in addition to baking powder are the leaveners.
13 Now add in the flour
14 Whisk it all together
15 For the hot cocoa mix use deep, dark unsweetened cocoa powder.
16 In goes the nonfat dry milk.
17 Add some sugar and whisk it all to combine.
18 And just a touch of salt.
19 A little cinnamon is nice in hot cocoa.
20 And some allspice too.
21 Mini chocolate chips make the hot cocoa mix even richer.
22 Don't forget the marshmallows!
23 Gifts ready to give. Don't forget the directions.
Gingerbread (or cookies) and a steaming cup of hot cocoa-what a great way to celebrate the holidays. With a couple of mixes on hand, these treats can be made in a flash. They're great gifts to give and super easy to make. And that's just what we did in the studio today.
Gingerbread mix-makes enough for 2 pans of gingerbread or 7 dozen cookies
1 cup sugar or brownulated sugar
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
DIRECTIONS:
Measure and mix together the all the spices excepting the flour. Then measure and whisk in the flour. Spoon a scant 2 1/2 cups of the mixture into each of 2 gift bags or jars. Label and include directions for both the gingerbread and the cookies
To make one 8 x 8 gingerbread:
1 cup boiling water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
¾ cup unsulfured molasses
2 ½ cups (half batch) Gingerbread Mix
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl combine the boiling water, butter, and molasses stirring until the butter has melted.
3. Stir in the gingerbread mix. Stir in the eggs until combined. Spoon mixture into the baking pan and bake until the cake starts to pull away from the sides and the center springs back when lightly touched, about 45 minutes. Serve straight from the pan, warm or at room temperature.
For cookies:
Makes about 3 ½ dozen
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 ½ cups (half batch) Gingerbread Mix
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
2. In a large bowl mix together the butter and molasses, then add the eggs. Stir in the mix just until moistened and combined-don’t overmix.
3. Drop dough 2-inches apart by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through until centers spring back when lightly touched (they’ll harden more as they cool).
4. Using a thin-bladed metal spatula remove the cookies to wire racks to cool.
Hot Cocoa Mix
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 envelope (3.2 ounces) nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
Whisk together all the dry ingredients, then stir in the chips and marshmallows. Transfer to a gift bag or jar including directions on how to use.
For Hot Cocoa:
To make a cup of cocoa, spoon a generous 3 tablespoons of the mix into a mug and dampen with a couple of tablespoons of cold water. Stir in 1 cup of boiling water until smooth and thick.
