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Christmas and gingerbread go together like Santa and presents. You would not have one without the other; am I right? But while gingerbread houses are definitely high on the list of holiday baking, they’re definitely a little fiddly and not for the impatient (that would be me). Rather than get frustrated with icing and misaligned walls, I decided to turn my foolproof gingerbread recipe into edible bowls. Not only are they super easy to make, but they’re the perfect vessel for serving this wonderfully festive no-churn pear ice cream. Holiday dessert sorted!
Gingerbread ingredients:
Makes at least 8 edible bowls plus extra cookies
- 3 ounces soft light brown sugar
- 3½ ounces treacle or molasses
- 3½ ounces golden syrup or honey
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature (plus more for greasing the muffin tin)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting and rolling)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the underside of a muffin tin with a little butter.
- Put the sugar, treacle and all the spices in a medium saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar melts.
- Take off the heat and stir in the baking soda. This will cause the mixture to rise slightly.
- Add the butter and stir until it melts completely.
- Stir in the beaten egg and transfer to a large bowl.
- Gradually add the flour, stirring it in, until the dough comes together. You may not need to add all the flour.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and gather into a ball. Divide into thirds and keep covered.
- Roll the dough out on top of a large piece of grease-proof paper. Use a patterned rolling pin or a doily to create a relief pattern (optional).
- Cut out six five-inch circles and carefully drape over the greased muffin tin, leaving gaps between them, as they will expand slightly while baking.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely, until firm. Gently remove the edible bowls from the muffin tin and set aside.
No-churn spiced pear ice cream ingredients:
- 3 large ripe but firm pears, peeled and cubed
- 2 Tablespoons Demerara sugar
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 1/3 cups double cream
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 3 ounces pecans
- caramel sauce to serve
Instructions:
- Put the pears, sugar and spice in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes until the pears are soft. Discard most of the liquid.
- Put the double cream and condensed milk in a large bowl and whisk until you have soft peaks.
- Stir in the pears and chopped pecans and fold everything together. Transfer to a container, cover and freeze overnight.
- Take the ice cream out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before serving to soften.
- Serve in the edible gingerbread bowls and drizzle with caramel sauce.
Customize this no-churn ice cream with any fruit and nuts that take your fancy!
Have you got any other ingenious uses for gingerbread? Share your ideas on Twitter @BritandCo, and check out our Pinterest for more gorgeously delicious recipes!
