Whip up a batch of homemade Gingerbread Cream Liqueur for a festive sip during the holidays . . . or anytime when there's a bit of winter chill in the air. You'll be feeling all warm and glowy (is that a word?) and full of gingerbread cheer. This liqueur is rich and creamy (but dairy free), spicy and not too sweet; the adult version of a gingerbread cookie. Yum. (Skip to recipe.)
As I write this I sit amidst a sea of wrapping paper and baskets of laundry to fold. In the kitchen doorway stand bags of stocking stuffers to sort, the table is covered in leftover tinsel and sparkles from the German kindergarten concert, handwashed sweaters adorn every chair back and couch as they dry, and a heap of dirty dishes taunts me from next to the sink. I've got cookie dough in the freezer that was supposed to be baked last week, I can't find the garland to wrap around the staircase rails, and I didn't get gifts for any of my nieces and nephews this year.
I know I still have to put clean sheets on all the beds, the tree needs to be brought in and put up tonight so it can be decorated tomorrow, school thank-you emails need to be sent, and there's still a lot of shopping to be done.
But I am soooo tired. It's been a week of BUSY that tops all weeks of busy. Hanging out in a grade one classroom the week before Christmas will do that to you. It'll put you more intensely into the Christmas spirit than anywhere else in the world could do. It'll give you moments that make your heart melt. There are big open smiles and spontaneous hugs; wonderful sticky-fingered hugs.
How many more sleeps until Santa comes, Mrs. Bose-Johnson?
How long until home time? (at 9:30 in the morning).
I think I saw him, Mrs. B-J!!! I really did. I heard his sleigh!!!
Johnny looked at me! He gave me the stink-eye!
Here, Mrs. B-J, you can have a piece of my candy cane; I didn't lick on this part.
Guess what the elf did in our house last night? He chewed up all the toilet paper!
No, I didn't eat the glue.
Here's a tree decoration I made for you, I coloured it myself. The cat just chewed off that little corner, but you still like it, don't you?
It'll also put you more behind in your Christmas preparations than you ever thought you could be. Hardly a stitch has been done in this household, and our four offspring are all arriving from the far flung corners of the globe within the next two days. The first of our crew, our youngest son, arrives at midnight tonight from extended travels in South America. Then tomorrow our two daughters and their boyfriends arrive, one couple flying in from Atlanta, Georgia, and the other driving in from Calgary. Then finally on Sunday night our oldest son and his new wife fly in from Bali, where they're currently traveling and working. It'll be a whirlwind of activity.
I know there'll be lots of love and laughter, but right now, all I can see is the mountains of stuff to do around me, and I'm feeling overwhelmed. I don't know where to start.
So I am very thankful that one of the small preparations I did get done is to make up a big quadruple batch of our family's favourite Gingerbread Cream liqueur. It's a necessary ingredient when we're decorating the tree. Since our plan is to get the tree up and then have a tree decorating party with the kids that have arrived home by tomorrow night, I knew it was the one Christmas tradition ingredient I had to get made up ahead. I've got enough bottles of Gingerbread Cream liqueur in the fridge downstairs to give our crew something to toast with and maybe even a couple bottles to give away to friends as gifts.
I think it'll be just the thing to help me get started on my mountain of things to do, and by the time our youngest arrives tonight, I may just be mellow and calm and in the best ho-ho-ho state of mind, no matter if I'm done my list or not.
I've been making this gingerbread cream liqueur for quite a few years now, tweaking the recipe a bit each year until it's juuuuuuust right. It's a gingerbread cookie in liquid form.
If the thought of biting the arm off a crispy, chewy gingerbread man puts you in the holiday mood, you'll love this liqueur, too. It's dark and spicy, rich and creamy, but without a drop of dairy in it. Coconut milk and almond milk add the silkiness, while the brown sugar and molasses add the gingerbread undertones. Dark rum weaves its sultry spell in the background. Then a slew of holiday spices gives it that final crank. Warm cinnamon and peppery ginger provide the base notes, and the aromatic hit of nutmeg, cloves, and allspice provide their Christmas cookie high notes.
I'm going to pour myself a creamy sip and go tackle my pile of wrapping. I'm feeling in a holiday mood already, just thinking of it.
Stress? What stress?
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!
Wishing you, all my dear readers, a very wonderful holiday season filled with an abundance of love, lots of laughter, some very special family times, and of course, much delicious feasting!
* * * * *
Kitchen Frau Notes: Use a full-fat, premium coconut milk here (I like Thai Kitchen brand) for the silky richness it adds to the liqueur (no lite coconut milk should be used here!)
Molasses comes in three strengths: fancy molasses is the lightest, next comes cooking molasses, and blackstrap molasses is the most dark and intense. If you like molasses, you can even double the amount to two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses for this recipe.
I use dark Navy Rum for the complex flavour it provides, but if you can't find it, I'm sure amber run would do in a pinch.
Gingerbread Cream Liqueur
gluten free, dairy free
- 1 cup (210gms) brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 can (14oz/398ml) full-fat, premium coconut milk
- 1 cup (240ml) almond milk
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap or cooking molasses (or 2 tablespoons fancy molasses)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups (480ml) dark rum
Mix brown sugar and all dry ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. Add a couple tablespoons of the coconut milk and whisk until all smooth. Add the rest of the coconut milk, the almond milk, and the molasses.
Whisk and stir over medium heat just until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a container with a pouring spout or a bowl. I like to pour the rum through the sieve near the end to help wash the last of the syrup through.
If you didn't pour the rum through the sieve, add it to the syrup now. Add the vanilla. Whisk to combine everything, then pour the liqueur into empty bottles with lids (rinsed out screw-cap wine bottles or bottles with wire swingtop stoppers work well). Store in the refrigerator for up to several months. Shake the bottle each time before serving as the contents sometimes separate out (depending on the coconut milk used) and some of the spices may settle to the bottom.
Makes about 5 cups (1.2l) of Gingerbread Spice Liqueur.
Prosit!
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Elsa
Merry Christmas to you Margaret, Raymond and family.
I am so happy that all your children are coming home for Christmas.
Have a wonderful holiday season filled with happy family time, laughter and love.
The Gingerbread Cream Liqueur sounds very good, I have to try and make it.
I cant wait to see you after the holidays to have that long overdue visit.
With love Elsa
Margaret
Merry Christmas to you, too, Elsa, and all your family. Yes, it's so wonderful that our whole crew will be making it home for Christmas. It is just what I need! There'll be lots of all that - laughter and love. Thank you for being such a friend and supporter of my blog. Can't wait for that after-Christmas visit, either, to catch up on our busy lives! Sending you big Christmas hugs.
Roswitha Fichtner
Hello Margaret,
Want to say thank you for providing us with all your recipes, stories, and pictures. I always enjoy all of them.
Wishing you All a wonderful Christmas time together.
Get your well deserved rest.
See you next year.
Warmest
Roswitha
Margaret
Thank you so much, Roswitha. It makes me so happy to know you are reading my posts, like I've got a friend beside me as I cook and write. Wishing you and Wolfgang a very Happy Christmas, too. Hope you have a special holiday season. Looking forward to a get-together some time in the New Year!
Hugs.
Irene Minchin
Merry Christmas Margaret and Raymond!
Love your recipes Margaret. Can't wait to try the Gingerbread Cream Liqueur.
Wishing you a wonderful 2019!
Dean and Irene Minchin
Margaret
Thank you so much, Irene! It just makes my day to hear that people are reading my posts and trying my recipes! I walk around with a smile on my face thinking of it. Wishing you and Dean a wonderful Christmas, too (Raymond says hi!), with some relaxing, some toasting, and some delicious feasting!
Kristal Attaway
Merry Christmas to you and your family Margaret!!
I will definitely be making this delicious drink for Christmas Eve!
Thank you for sharing the recipe and try to get some rest over the the busy holidays - yeah right 🎄
Margaret
Thank you so much, Kristal! Sending you and your family warm wishes for a really great Christmas and a good holiday! (And as for getting some rest, I think you said it well - yeah, right!)
Cheers to you and your crew!
Sina
Dear Margaret,
hopefully, the christmas days were lovely, festive and cozy and you got to slow down and enjoy the company of your loved ones!
And I can absolutely relate to this feeling "how-am-I-ever-going-to-do-all-this"?! This post is like you are describing me on Dec. 21st... I cancelled so much from my list on that day.
Have wonderful winter days! The recipe sounds delicious 🙂
Margaret
Hello Sina, Yes, our days were lovely and festive. I actually came down with a nasty cold, so it's been a lot of tea drinking, napping, and working on a big puzzle together. Christmas Eve was so special, with feasting and going for a winter walk, then carol singing in German and English, and opening our gifts to each other. All the crazy panic of the days before Christmas seems to have disappeared now, and there's just the lovely afterglow of a great Christmas. I hope yours was absolutely wonderful, too, with time to enjoy your little ones and the rest of the family. Best wishes for a very happy New Year!