Gingerbread-Bisquick

This is the lazy-baker’s gingerbread. A cup of biscuit mix replaces the flour, baking powder, and salt of traditional recipes, and the spices and molasses do the rest of the work. Total prep is about 5 minutes, which makes this a viable Tuesday-night gingerbread when you don’t feel like measuring six dry ingredients.

Cinnamon, cloves, and ginger at a quarter teaspoon each is on the lighter side, deliberate so the molasses can shine through without competition. A quarter cup of molasses is the right amount for a small-batch bake (the recipe is meant for a 4×6 inch pan, which is unusually small).

The two-step beating process (half the liquid, beat 2 minutes, add the rest, beat 1 minute) gives you proper aeration and structure development without absolutely needing an electric mixer, though it helps.

Pro Tips

• Use dark (not light or blackstrap) molasses, the deeper flavor without bitter blackstrap notes is what gingerbread needs.
• A 4×6 inch pan is small, the recipe scales up linearly to a 9×9 if you double everything.
• Test for doneness with a toothpick at 35 minutes, biscuit-mix bakes can dry out fast past 40.
• Serve warm with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or a lemon glaze for a more substantial dessert.

Variations

• Add ½ teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger along with the dried for a brighter, sharper ginger note.
• Stir in ¼ cup of finely chopped crystallized ginger for chewy spice bursts.
• Bake in muffin tins for 18 to 22 minutes for individual gingerbread cakes.