Homemade Gingerbread Recipe: Easy and Delicious!

I love baking during the holidays! You can make this homemade gingerbread recipe to get in the Christmas spirit. Your whole house will smell amazing while it is baking!

I like making homemade baked goods, like these red velvet cookie bars, to give as an affordable gift option for neighbor and co-worker gifts. People always seem to give the same body lotion or candles that just end up sitting in a closet. With baked goods, they can share them with their family or keep at their work desk for a quick snack.

I know that cookies are the go to for holiday gifting but I like making this homemade gingerbread recipe to give something a little different that still screams Christmas.

I normally make this in a square 8×8 pan but you can make this in a loaf pan as well.

You can top it or decorate it anyway you like. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top or make a cream cheese frosting. I personally like eating it plain and having it with a cup of coffee in the mornings.

This homemade gingerbread recipe is very easy to make, made from scratch, and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. This is the recipe my mom has used since the 90’s and now I am making it for my family. I hope you like it as much as we do!

Post contains affiliate links If you make a purchase, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. 

Homemade Gingerbread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 vegetable shortening (I use Crisco)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)
• 1 1/2 Tsp. baking soda
• 1 Tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1/4 Tsp. ground cloves
• 1 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Grease an 8×8 pan with some vegetable shortening and add some flour until the sides and bottom of pan have a thin coating. This will help prevent the gingerbread from sticking to the pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Sift the 2 cups of flour using a sifter or fine mesh sieve.
4. Add all of the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
5. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine the butter and 1/4 cup of vegetable shortening.
6. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter/shortening mixture and combine for a minute or two.
7. Add the egg and molasses to the mixture and combine. It should form a dough like consistency.
8. Slowly mix in 1 cup of hot water to the mixture. It should then look similar to a cake batter.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check that it is done with a toothpick.

That is all there is to it! You can top it anyway you like or cut it up into individual servings and give them out in cute cellophane bags tied with ribbon.

I like giving this as a neighbor gift. I will wrap it in some plastic wrap and tie it up with a holiday ribbon. I like to give them on one of the cute holiday platters you can get at the Dollar Tree. They are only $1 so you don’t have to worry about getting back your plates and platters.

For more affordable gift options, you can make some Christmas gift basket ideas where everything is from Dollar Tree.

Let me know how you top or gift your gingerbread this holiday season.