First things first, Snarklings: the Lady of the Manners is SO HAPPY to see people showing their delightful faces and using the #EverydayGoth and #ThisIsGoth tags on Twitter and Instagram. Keep doing that! And feel free to tag the Lady of the Manners on Twitter ( @CupcakeGoth ), because she is determined to retweet every photo she sees with those tags.
In case you missed the original post, “Not Pretty Enough” to be Goth, there is now a movement to show that goth is for people of all races, ages, body types, anyone. GOTH IS INCLUSIVE, DAMMIT.
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And now, festive cookies! Perfect for any occasion, but especially delightful for holidays, the Gothic Charm School gingerbread bats recipe!
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 C. flour (with an extra ½ C. set aside, just in case)
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. cloves
- 2 tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. pepper (yes, really)
- 1/2 C. butter
- 1/2 C. molasses
- 1/2 C. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1-2 tsp. fresh ginger, very finely minced
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
Directions:
Combine the molasses and butter in a saucepan over very low heat until the butter melts.
Add the sugar, minced ginger, and lime juice, stir until the sugar dissolves, then remove the saucepan from the heat.
While that mixture cools, sift together all the dry ingredients.
(Note: The measurements given for the spices are guidelines. The Lady of the Manners usually adds several extra dashes of each spice, until the dry ingredients are a dark beige color. Yes, baking is supposed to be about exact measurements. The Lady of the Manners still adds extra ginger, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon to hers. She wasn’t kidding with the “very spicy, very ginger-y” comment.)
Fold the dry ingredients into the lukewarm butter/sugar/molasses mixture.
Add the egg (just crack it into the bowl!), and mix everything together until the dough is smooth and slightly glossy looking.
(Note: You may need to add a smidge more flour at this stage. Sometimes the Lady of the Manners does, sometimes she doesn’t. But if your dough seems sticky or not holding together, add a spoonful or two of flour, then keep mixing.)
Gather the dough into a ball, wrap up in plastic wrap or wax paper, and chill for a minimum of 2 hours.
Pre-heat the oven to 325* F.
Roll out the dough on a floured cutting board, then cut out cookies with appropriately-festive cookie cutters. Bats, of course, are the holiday cookie shape of choice at Gothic Charm School.
Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes (the cookies should look slightly glossy, and feel slightly soft if you touch them – do not burn yourself!), then take them off the cookie sheets and let them cool. (On a wire rack, if you have such a thing. If not, setting them on some paper towels works just as well.)
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The Lady of the Manners hopes you have the best holiday you are able in this strange and unsettling year, and may 2021 be better for all of us.