Hello Hello! Can you believe it's already the second week of December? Where is the month going? We enjoyed a bit of snow this weekend, but I admit I am happy it's melting now! When it snows though, I start baking! And one of the things I love to bake during the winter months is gingerbread! I have a great gingerbread recipe that I love for our family, but also to wrap up and give as a hospitality gift when we get invited over to friends homes during the winter. So our recipe for The Monday Munchies today is...yep, Gingerbread!
"I don't like gingerbread."
That was a statement from Love-Of-My-Life when he first heard I was making gingerbread one winter day. I laughed and gave him *the look* and said, "well, you might like mine."
Since that first slice hot from the oven, he has revised his statement and it now goes...
"I don't like gingerbread...except for yours."
So here is what is great about my recipe...
#1 It's a one bowl recipe
Yep, no extra bowls. You just throw it all in one bowl, mix it and pour into your pan. I'm all about as few dishes as possible aren't you??
#2 There is NO butter.
Now the original recipe did have it. But after making a few batches without it (using coconut oil instead), I have never gone back.
#3 It's got amped up flavor due to a sweet/spice combination!
Do you have a jar of molasses in your pantry that doesn't get used a lot? Well pull it out! This recipe calls for molasses (or sorghum!) and the darker the better! I also amped up the spice level. I never just use ginger. Nope, I matched that ginger with the rest of the team: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice! Now between the molasses and the spices it's flavor to the max!
#4 M-O-I-S-T
By taking out the butter and replacing it with coconut oil, what was already an incredibly moist gingerbread is now even moist..er? (is that a word?? LOL) I'm sure that you are like me and NOT a fan of a dry crumby bread. This gingerbread (like my Best Banana Bread) is so moist you will definitely need to wipe your fingers off...if there is any left after you've licked them!
So with those four awesome reasons to make and enjoy this bread, let's get cracking on this recipe!
Preheat your oven, grease and flour your bread pan and collect all your ingredients. Add all your ingredients into a mixing bowl
My favorite mixing bowl is THIS ONE BY PYREX.
I use it for almost EVERYTHING because my GripRite version [discontinued unfortunately] doesn't slide on my counter!
Beat all the ingredients with mixer on LOW for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly. Then beat on MEDIUM for about 3 more minutes continuing to scrape the sides.
Just get it all mixed really well, because you want that spice to be all throughout the batter.
Pour batter into the prepared bread pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 50-65 minutes or until toothpick/knife comes out clean when inserted.
Tastes best served warm!
I like to flip mine out of the pan while it's warm so I can dive into it! It also will finish cooling it and prevent the crust from overbaking.
Now a few extra notes...
If you don't want to use the coconut oil, then simply replace it with 1/2 c. softened butter. It's a 1 to 1 ratio. This WILL decrease the moistness--but not that you would really notice.
I also use sorghum instead of molasses. Sorghum is sweeter so I always decrease the sugar from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup. You could probably even decrease it even more depending on the sweetness level you want. I don't recommend taking it down very much with molasses because of the intense taste, but go for it if you like it that way!
This recipe is fabulous as a snack for anytime of day. Baby Britches asks for "juice and ging-bread" first thing in the morning right now! If you want to make it more into a dessert, drizzle a lemon sauce over it!
I hope you will give it a try this winter (or spring or summer or fall!) and let me know how you like it or if you made other adjustments!
**EDITED TO ADD: I was just informed by a friend who made this recipe gluten free that it tastes amazing! She says she used Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend using the Molasses and left out the sugar completely, replacing it with 3T Maple Syrup. I know that those of you who are on gluten free diets will enjoy knowing you can still enjoy this warm winter treat! **
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I'd love for you to share and link up with The Monday Munchies each week!!
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