Gingerbread...My Favorite Christmas Dessert!

I've seen gingerbread in many different forms...cookies, cakes, brownies, puddings, pancakes, waffles and ice cream, to name a few! I love gingerbread in ANY form!

This next recipe is one I found on Allrecipes.com. I tweaked it to make it low fat by subbing 1/2 the butter for applesauce. I also doubled the spices to bring out more gingerbread flavor! It was perfect! This really satisfied my gingerbread craving! I also topped the gingerbread with my recipe for a cinnamon spiced drizzle.

Below is my version of the recipe along with my photo of the gingerbread.

Old Fashioned Gingerbread

INGREDIENTS:
 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup corn oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup molasses - mild
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon powder
2 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup hot water

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Greased and flour one 9 inch square pan.

Cream together the brown sugar, oil and applesauce. Add egg, and beat well. Mix in the molasses.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and clove. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture; add the hot water, and mix well.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool in pan and serve cold. This tastes much better cold than warm. If you taste this while its warm the gingerbread flavor is just too intense!

***Optional - Top with the spiced drizzle when the gingerbread is completely cooled.

~~~SPICED DRIZZLE RECIPE~~~

1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbls. 100% pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

MIX ALL THE DRIZZLE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER WELL.

THEN DRIZZLE ON COLD CAKES OR COOKIES.
THE DRIZZLE WILL HARDEN AS IT DRIES.