Preheat the Oven 🌡️:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Grease and flour a 9×9-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.

Sift Dry Ingredients 🧁:

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set this dry mixture aside.

Cream the Butter and Sugars 🍰:

• In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add Eggs and Molasses 🥚:

• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then mix in the molasses until well combined.

Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients 🥄:

• Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Add Hot Water and Vanilla ☕:

• Pour in the hot water and add the vanilla extract, then stir until the batter is smooth.

Bake 🎂:

• Pour the gingerbread batter into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool 🌬️:

• Allow the gingerbread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Slice and Serve 🍰:

• Once cooled, slice your gingerbread into squares or rectangles and serve.
• You can dust the top with powdered sugar or serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you like. Enjoy! 🎉