Cookies are everywhere during the Christmas celebration. Whenever I write a story that takes place during the Christmas season, a yummy cookie must be a part.
So it is with my upcoming release on January 2, “When the Avalanche Roared” where the heroine, Lillian, is helping her pregnant cousin bake up a batch of gingerbread cookies to distribute to the needy and even share with the hero Griffin and his unruly roommates.
This is Lillian’s home of Wellington, Washington that will eventually endure the tragedy of a raging avalanche in “When the Avalanche Roared”
I’ve incorporated gingerbread in several of my novels and novellas, including Christmas Angels of Virginia of which one story, set in Williamsburg, encapsulates a colonial Christmas. There’s something about the traditional Williamsburg gingerbread cookie from the Raleigh Tavern Bakery that evokes memories of a spicy and wonderful Christmas season. And so I share this favorite recipe with you as you enjoy the holiday and with best wishes for a Merry Christmas.
A Colonial Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookie Recipe (can be halved)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 cup melted butter
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup unsulfured molasses
¾ tsp vanilla
4 cups unbleached flour
Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine the first six ingredients. Add the melted butter, milk, and molasses. Add the extract and the flour.
Knead the dough for a smoother texture, adding ½ cup more flour if needed. When the dough is smooth, roll out to ¼ inch thick. Cut with assorted cutters.
A great hint in baking is using parchment paper instead of greasing the cookie sheet. The latter often caused discoloration and overdone cookies that still stick fast to the pan. Parchment paper is now my best friend in much of my roasting and baking in the oven.
Bake on parchment paper for 10-12 minutes. Decorate with royal icing if desired.
Enjoy!
Other Christmas cookies:
Jan Hagel recipe
My latest release in the Day of Disaster Series: