Nelson, the owner of Daisy Cakes and a winner of the reality show “Shark Tank,” bakes hundreds of gingerbread man cookies for Ballet Spartanburg's “The Nutcracker,” which ran Dec. 10-12 at the Chapman Cultural Center this year.
Nelson has appeared on “The Nate Berkus Show,” “Anderson Cooper,” "ABC World News with Diane Sawyer," the "Today" show, “The Taste,” and QVC. Her cakes have been featured as a prize on “The Price Is Right” and “Wheel of Fortune.”
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Nelson was rolling out gingerbread dough at her Daisy Cakes bakery. The sweet smell of brown sugar, molasses, allspice, ginger, ground cloves and cinnamon wafted through the air.
Each year, Nelson bakes close to 500 gingerbread man cookies as a fundraiser for Ballet Spartanburg.
“This is Trish McCallister's recipe that I've been making for quite some time,” she said. “My daughter took dance at Ballet Spartanburg for 15 years and they are near and dear to my heart. I like to do this to give back to the community.”
Nelson said her recipe will make 40 to 45 gingerbread man cookies depending on how thick you roll out the dough.
“I am guessing this is about the size of your hand,” she said of her gingerbread man cookie cutters.
In her cookbook, “Daisy Cakes Share A Slice of Love,” she writes, “rolling dough is like relaxation therapy for me.”
Nelson rolls out the dough, cuts out the gingerbread man cookie shapes and lays them on a baking sheet before putting them in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
At the end of the cooking session, Nelson's ovens were filled with baking cookies and baking pans lined up on a table were filled with hundreds of gingerbread man cookies ready to be devoured.
Nelson shared her recipe which can be used to make cookies or Christmas decorations.
Article Written By: Jose Fanco, Hearld Journel
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