Revolutionary War Gingerbread

Beautifully spiced gingerbread cookies formed in a sea goat mold

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City/Region: England | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Time Period: 1773

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Christopher Ludwick was a true hero of the American Revolution. A German immigrant, he made his fortune in part by baking gingerbread in Philadelphia, and then used his baking knowledge, patriotic spirit, and all of his fortune to aid the American cause.

These gingerbread cookies are not as gingery as many modern ones, but the addition of mace, coriander seeds, and caraway seeds makes for a complex spiciness that is delicious. If you have gingerbread molds, these are a great time to use them, and if you don’t, they’re still delicious as cut-out cookies.

“The Make Ginger-bread.
Take a pound and a half of treacle, two eggs beaten, half a pound of brown sugar, an ounce of ginger beaten and sifted; of cloves, mace, and nutmegs all together half an ounce, beaten very fine, coriander-seeds and carraway-seeds of each half an ounce, two pounds of butter melted; mix all these together, with as much flour as will knead it into a pretty stiff paste; then roll it out, and cut it into what forms you please; bake it in a quick oven on tin plates; a little time will bake it.”

— The Universal Cook or, the Lady’s Complete Assistant by John Townshend, 1773

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Ingredients:

• 7 cups (840 g) flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoon (14 g) ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (2.5 g) ground mace
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (2.5 g) ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon (7 g) ground coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon (7 g) ground caraway seeds
• 1 cup (340 g) treacle or molasses
• 1 cup (225 g) brown sugar
• 2 cups (450 g) melted salted butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• Cornstarch, if using a mold
• Additional flour, if using a mold

Instructions:

1. Put the flour in a large bowl, then sift the spices into it to make sure there are no clumps. Whisk them together.
2. In a separate bowl (a stand mixer will be very helpful for this recipe if you have one), stir together the treacle or molasses, brown sugar, melted butter, and egg until thoroughly combined.
3. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients about one third at a time, mixing on low until mostly combined before adding the next addition of flour. Once all the flour is mixed in, turn it out onto a work surface and knead it a few times to make sure that the dough is well mixed and cohesive. Cover it and set it aside to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. If you’re using a gingerbread mold: Mix about 2 parts flour to 1 part cornstarch in a bowl, then generously dust the inside of your mold with the mixture. Brush out the excess. How much dough you use and how thick you roll it out will depend on the size and shape of your mold. You want a piece of dough big enough so that when it’s rolled out, it’s a little bigger than your mold and it’s thick enough to fill the mold. Roll your piece of dough out on a piece of parchment, then place your mold cavity-side down over it and press down firmly and evenly. I found it helpful to flip the dough, parchment, and mold over and use a rolling pin to really press the dough into the mold. Flip it all back over and gently remove the mold. If the dough sticks, work a little more flour into the dough before you shape the next piece. Trim the excess dough. Repeat the process for all of the dough.
5. Place the dough on lined baking sheets and let them sit uncovered for 6 to 8 hours, or until the tops have dried out and hardened. This will help them keep the definition of the mold.
6. When the gingerbread is dry enough, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C), then bake the gingerbread for 20 to 22 minutes depending on the size of the cookie.
7. If you’re not using a gingerbread mold: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch (1/4 cm) thick and cut it out into whatever shapes you like using a floured cookie cutter. I did mine in rounds and a classic gingerbread man. Bake on lined baking sheets for 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Let the gingerbread cool, then serve it forth.

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