Karen’s Classic Gingerbread Cookies: A Cherished Holiday Recipe Filled with Love and Memories
Karen’s Gingerbread: A taste of tradition.
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ve likely heard me speak of my beloved sister-in-law, Karen. Her absence since 2005, when she passed away from an aggressive form of mouth cancer, is a constant ache in our hearts. While she is profoundly missed every day, the holiday season amplifies these feelings, bringing a poignant mix of cherished memories and wistful longing.
Karen possessed a truly extraordinary talent and passion for baking. She didn’t just bake; she created edible masterpieces, pouring her love and creativity into every cookie, cake, and pie. Her kitchen was always a place of warmth, aromatic spices, and genuine joy. This particular gingerbread cookie recipe, known to us simply as “Karen’s Gingerbread,” stands as a testament to her culinary prowess and her generous spirit, becoming an irreplaceable part of our family’s Christmas traditions.
A Legacy of Love and Gingerbread
The holidays, more than any other time, truly illuminate the enduring impact Karen had on our lives. Her love for baking wasn’t just a hobby; it was a way she showed affection, celebrated milestones, and brought comfort to those around her. The sweet, spicy aroma of her gingerbread wafting through the house is one of my most vivid and treasured memories of her. These aren’t just cookies; they are a direct link to her presence, her kindness, and her ability to make every moment special.
Karen’s oldest son, Alex, and my oldest son were born just three weeks apart. They grew up like brothers, sharing countless childhood adventures and holiday celebrations. For Alex, Christmas was synonymous with his mom’s gingerbread men. He adored them, eagerly anticipating their arrival each year. The distinctive flavor, the perfect chewiness, and the joy of decorating them with his mom created memories that have lasted a lifetime.
The Heart of Our Holiday Traditions
Karen would painstakingly prepare batches of these gingerbread cookies not only for her family but often for my annual cookie exchange gatherings. Her cookies were always a highlight, disappearing quickly and earning rave reviews from everyone who tasted them. When she was no longer with us, it felt natural, almost necessary, for me to continue this tradition. Now, they are also my son, Spencer’s, favorite Christmas cookie. Watching him enjoy them, just as Alex once did, creates a beautiful, bittersweet connection to Karen and keeps her spirit alive in our festive celebrations. It’s a culinary torch passed down, carried with immense love and remembrance.
More Than Just a Recipe: A Tapestry of Memories
The recipe I use today isn’t a pristine card from a cookbook. It’s a printed email, a digital artifact of a bygone era, capturing not just ingredients and instructions, but snippets of our everyday conversations. It’s a precious piece of our history, filled with the casual back-and-forth of normal life, intertwined with baking questions and shared tips. Karen was my ultimate “go-to” person in the kitchen. If I had a baking dilemma, she was the first one I’d call. Her advice was invaluable, her encouragement boundless, and her patience unwavering. This simple email is a tangible reminder of our bond, her expertise, and the joy we found in culinary collaboration.
A Shared Journey: Creative Pursuits and Enduring Bonds
Our shared interests extended beyond the kitchen. For six years, I was a Creative Memories consultant, discovering my passion for scrapbooking alongside Karen. We attended our first home class together after our boys were born, embarking on a creative journey that further deepened our friendship. Later, my friend Candi and I, from The Devilish Dish, started our own online scrapbooking art store called “Simply Scrapbooking,” where we crafted handmade scrapbook art. This venture, born from a shared love of creativity, was another chapter in our evolving friendship, a bond strengthened by our mutual interests and unwavering support for each other.
Angelic Remembrances: Keeping Her Spirit Alive
After Karen’s passing in October 2005, a truly remarkable event occurred. A vast community of our scrapbooking family — and I mean a giant room full of loving individuals — gathered together. Their mission: to bring all of her children’s scrapbooks completely up to date. This incredible act of kindness and remembrance took place around the holidays, a time when her absence was felt most acutely. As a small token of gratitude, everyone who helped received a tiny, delicate angel ornament. Attached to each angel was a heartfelt saying, a poem that perfectly encapsulated our feelings during that bittersweet time:
You’re in my thoughts at Christmas,
so I say this little prayer. . .
“May angels always bless you,
and keep you in their care.
And may the heaven’s angels
light a Christmas star,
to shine on you all year through. . .
no matter where you are.”
My “Karen Angel” keeping watch.
A Constant Presence in My Kitchen
I affectionately call it my “Karen Angel,” and it hangs year-round in my kitchen, right on the cabinet knob above my oven. Every time I bake, especially during the festive season, I look at that angel and feel her presence. It’s a comforting reminder that she is still with me, sharing in the joy of creation that she so deeply loved.
Another poignant memory tied to her passing is the Hallmark movie, “The Christmas Shoes,” based on a book. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen it, but it’s an absolute tear-jerker. It tells the story of a little boy who loses his mom at Christmas, delivering a beautiful, if heart-wrenching, message about love and loss. Every year, as I immerse myself in Christmas music while baking, the song from that movie invariably plays. And every single time, it brings tears to my eyes. It’s a powerful reminder of how precious life is and how deeply our loved ones are missed, especially during seasons of celebration.
I find solace in knowing that Karen is in a better place, free from pain. Yet, the emptiness her absence leaves behind is profound, particularly when the holidays roll around. Her laughter, her baking, her unwavering support — these are things we continue to miss dearly.
Sharing Karen’s Timeless Gingerbread Recipe
It is with a full heart that I now share with you her cherished recipe for gingerbread cookies. I don’t know the original source; it was simply “Karen’s recipe” in that old email, a culinary gem she passed on to me. So, while I cannot attribute it to its initial creator, to our family, this recipe will forever be Karen’s Gingerbread. It is more than just ingredients and steps; it is a piece of her legacy, a taste of her love, and a tradition we are honored to continue and share with you.
A Glimpse into Her Joy: The Alco Dress Story
This image is one of my absolute favorites of Karen, capturing her vibrant spirit. We were attending a wedding in Manhattan, Kansas, and Karen had meticulously hand-sewn a beautiful dress for the occasion. However, upon arrival, she had a sudden, sinking realization: the dress was still laying on her bed back home! In a small town, options for last-minute formal wear were limited, and the only place to shop in a pinch was Alco, a local general store. That’s where she found this “sweet little number,” as we called it. We still laugh about that day. Despite the unexpected wardrobe mishap, she looked absolutely fantastic, and it perfectly illustrates her ability to find humor and joy in any situation. That memory, like these cookies, reminds me of her wonderful, resilient spirit.
Karen in her unforgettable “Alco dress.”
Cherish Every Moment
Mommas and Daddys, squeeze your babies tight. Cherish every moment, every laugh, every shared tradition. Life is fleeting, and the memories we create with our loved ones are the most precious legacy we can leave behind.
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Print Recipe
Karen’s Ginger Bread Cookie Recipe
5 minutes
10 minutes
1 hour
1 hour
15 minutes
American
Karen’s Ginger Bread Cookie Recipe, Christmas Cookies, Holiday Baking, Family Recipe, Gingerbread Men
24
cookies
201
kcal
Michaela Kenkel (via Karen’s original recipe)
Prevent your screen from going dark
Ingredients
-
1 1/2
cups
sugar -
1
cup
butter
softened -
3
T
molasses -
1
egg -
2
T
water or milk -
3 1/4
cups
flour -
2
tsp
baking soda -
2
tsp
cinnamon -
1 1/2
tsp
ginger -
1/2
tsp
salt -
1/2
tsp
cloves -
Sugar or icing
for coating or decoration
Instructions
-
Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, softened butter, and molasses in a large mixing bowl; beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
-
Add the egg and water (or milk); blend well until fully incorporated.
-
Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup and level it off. Add the measured flour and all remaining ingredients (baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves), except for the additional sugar or icing; mix thoroughly to form a smooth dough.
-
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to make it easier to handle and roll.
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
-
Take portions of the chilled dough and roll them into medium-sized balls. If you prefer sugar-coated cookies, roll the dough balls in additional sugar. Alternatively, leave them plain if you plan to ice them after baking. (Keep any unused dough refrigerated until ready to bake.)
-
Place the prepared dough balls onto a cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are set around the edges but still slightly soft in the center.
-
Immediately remove the cookies from the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely.
-
Once thoroughly cooled, decorate with icing if desired. Enjoy these classic, flavorful gingerbread cookies!
Nutrition
Serving:
1
cookie
|
Calories:
201
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
29
g
|
Protein:
2
g
|
Fat:
9
g
|
Saturated Fat:
5
g
|
Polyunsaturated Fat:
3
g
|
Cholesterol:
29
mg
|
Sodium:
227
mg
|
Fiber:
1
g
|
Sugar:
16
g