A time-honored tradition during the holiday season is to construct a gingerbread house. Pagans looking to add a bit of flair for the Yuletide season that reflects their beliefs may find this recipe to be a unique treat that can also be incorporated into their Solstice festivities. What better way than to have their own Stonehenge at home.
Cookie Dough
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups softened margarine (3 sticks)
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1-12oz. bottle light or dark molasses
- 1-1/2 tablespoons of vinegar
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 4 cups of flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of powdered ginger
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Using a spoon, mix the butter, sugar, molasses vinegar, eggs and vanilla together until smooth. Then add the remaining ingredients. The dough should be pliable, though somewhat sticky; if not, add a half cup of flour at a time.
- Grease rolling pin well, then roll out the dough on floured, waxed paper to about a 1/8" thick.
- Reserving half of the dough, use a butter knife and cut out the rectangles about 1" x 2-1/2". Go by eye, and not by a cookie cutter, so the stones have character, just as Nature helped to hone in on the originals.
- For the base, roll out the reserved dough onto a cookie sheet, preferably cutting into the shape of a circle, baking one large, solid cookie.
- Bake the cookies on a greased, aluminum foil-covered cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. Of course, just like baking any cookies, it is always best to go by smell and look, since every oven heats a bit differently.
- Be sure to allow them to cool on a flat surface for at least two hours, ensuring the stones do not curl or twist and the base does not break when moving.
Sweetened Flour-Based Paste
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Directions:
Stir all ingredients well, making sure there are no lumps from the flour. The paste should be reminiscent of paste at school; thick and very sticky. If not, add more flour.
Icing
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar (confectioner's sugar works best)
- 1/8 cup of flour
- 1/8 cup of milk
- a hint of vanilla extract
Directions:
Stir all ingredients together, watching out for the slightest hint of flour. Add a tiny bit more flour for thicker icing.
Forming the Henge
- Using the paste, glue the stones together, two vertically on either side and one on top.
- Make each three-piece group separately on waxed paper until dried, then carefully align them into the familiar stance. The best part about creating this variant of a gingerbread house is imperfections and even collapses are acceptable, so if any should fall, it is still perfect.
- Coat icing over the tops of all of the stones, as well as on the base, in order to have the appearance of ice and snow for the Winter Solstice.
- Of course, gum drops, jelly beans and other candies can be used as rocks, stones, paths and more.
Note: The same directions can be used for the celebration of the Summer Solstice by adding green food coloring to the icing in order to incorporate the appearance of grass and moss.
