Click here to download the recipe for Gingerbread Scout Cookies
Third Ottawa Gingerbread Scout Cookies
The ‘No-Chill’ Variety
|
Ingredients |
2 dozen scouts
(1X recipe) |
4 dozen scouts (2X recipe) |
6 dozen scouts (3X recipe) |
| ‘Dry’ Ingredients
Flour Ginger Cinnamon Cloves Nutmeg Salt |
3 ½ cups 1½ teaspoons 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon ½ teaspoon |
7 c 3 tsp 2 tsp 2 tsp 2 tsp 1 tsp |
10 ½ c 4 ½ tsp 3 tsp 3 tsp 3 tsp 1 ½ tsp |
| ‘Wet’ Ingredients
White Granulated Sugar Molasses (Grandma Fancy) Shortening or butter Baking soda Egg Water |
½ cup ½ cup ½ cup 2 teaspoons 1 large 3 tablespoons |
1 c 1 c 1 c 4 tsp 2 large 6 tbs |
1 ½ cup 1 ½ cup 1 ½ cup 6 tsp 3 large 9 tbs |
| ‘Decorating’ Ingredients
Raisins, candies, silver dragees, icing |
Notes:
- This is a good recipe if you are in a hurry to get your cookies done
- Lots of cookbooks and cooks still use imperial measurements
- Look!! Multiplying fractions IS useful
- If you are making a multiple of a recipe, WRITE it out before you start
Some Imperial/ Metric Conversions
| Imperial Measurement | Metric |
| 1 teaspoon (tsp) | 5 mL |
| 1 tablespoon (tbs) | 15 mL |
| 1 cup | 225 mL |
| 1 large egg | 1 large egg! |
Some Imperial Equivalents
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
1 cup = 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons
1 scant cup = 7/8 of a cup = 14 tablespoons
Pop Quiz: how could you simplify your measuring for the 3X recipe?
Order of Operations:
WASH YOUR HANDS!!! SET OVEN TO 350 ºF; bake 5 to 8 minutes
Get 2 pieces, 60 to 70 cm long, of parchment paper; fold in half
- Set aside a big mixing bowl
In another bowl,
- Measure ‘Dry’ ingredients
- Stir them together until homogenous (i.e. all the spices are spread throughout the flour)
On a plate,
- Measure shortening/butter
In a cup,
- Add water and egg(s) and beat together
In a medium pan,
- Measure sugar, molasses into pan
- Turn burner heat to medium, stir until boiling—DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED
- Add shortening/butter
- Stir until the butter is melted
- Remove from heat –leave on stove or hot pad, DO NOT PLACE ON COUNTER!
- Stir in the baking soda (it will foam alot)
- Transfer to the big mixing bowl
In big mixing bowl,
- Add beaten egg mixture to hot ingredients and mix
- Mix in the ‘dry ingredients’
- Knead the dough; if it is too soft, knead in a bit more flour (1 tbs at a time)
- Divide dough in half (if you aren’t using it all at once, cover the other half in wrap)
On one half of the parchment paper,
- Sprinkle a bit of flour (1/2 teaspoon) to keep dough from sticking
- Place dough on the parchment paper
- Sprinkle a bit more flour
- Cover with second half of parchment paper
- Roll out dough with rolling pin till approximately 0.5 cm thick (yes, a metric value)
- Remove second half of parchment paper
- Cut out your cookies using gingerbread scout cookie cutter
On the cookie sheet,
- Carefully transfer the cookies to cookie sheets with spatulas
- Decorate with raisins or sprinkles etc. now, if you wish
- Bake for 5 to 8 minutes (depends on thickness of dough—keep an eye on them)
Remove cookies from sheet and cool for a few minutes on cooling racks
- Once cool, the cookies can be decorated with icing (for decoration or to stick on candies)
- Have a cookie and milk break!