Stage Planks Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a rimmed sheet pan and line it with buttered parchment paper. In a small pan, melt molasses, shortening and ginger together over low heat. Transfer to mixer and mix at medium speed until well blended and slightly cooled, about 3 minutes. Mix in sugar.
• Dissolve baking soda in a tablespoon of hot water and mix into molasses mixture. Working in alternating batches and mixing well after each addition, mix in buttermilk and flour; batter should be quite stiff, not runny. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time, if needed.
• Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake in lower third of oven 10 to 12 minutes, until risen and firm. Cool in pan on rack. Cut into rectangles or use cookie cutters to make shapes.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup white sugar and shortening until smooth. Stir in the egg yolks and molasses. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger; stir into the molasses mixture alternately with the sour milk. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into rectangular shapes (I like to use a Spam can). Place cookies 1 inch apart onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.
• To make the frosting, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, vinegar, water and marshmallows. Mix well and place over a pot of simmering water. when the marshmallows have melted, stir in the egg whites. Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer for 7 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Frost cooled cookies.

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Liberally grease a 5- by 9-inch loaf pan.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all the dry ingredients, including the sugars and spices, and mix on low speed to blend evenly. Add the butter and mix until blended. Add the fresh ginger, buttermilk, molasses, eggs and vanilla and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Fold in the crystallized ginger.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smooth the top, and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until lightly browned and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. You can also bake this in an 8- by 8-inch square pan. Simply reduce the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Unmold onto a wire rack, and let cool slightly or completely. Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together 3 cups flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In bowl of a standing mixer, add molasses, sugar, and butter. Mix on medium-high speed until color turns lighter, about 2 minutes. On low mixer speed, alternate flour and buttermilk with butter mixture. Raise speed to medium and mix 30 seconds. Dough should be stiff enough to roll out. If not, mix in up to 1/2 cup more flour to reach proper consistency.
• On a hard floured surface, roll dough to a 10" x 16" rectangle. Slice down the middle horizontally, then vertically at 2-inch intervals to make 16 cookies. Place individual pieces at least 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake until tops are firm, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely in pans.