Chocolate Gingerbread Men Food

GINGERBREAD PEOPLE IN GINGERBREAD HOT CHOCOLATE TUBS

Steps:

• For the gingerbread people: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until well blended.
• Beat together the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer starting on low and increasing speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl down as needed. Beat in the molasses until combined, then the egg. (The mixture will look curdled.) Turn to low speed and beat in the flour mixture a little at a time until the mixture comes together, then increase speed and beat until all of the ingredients are well incorporated and you have a sticky dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten into 2 disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least two hours and up to overnight.
• Position 2 racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Keeping the other disk refrigerated, roll one disk to an 1/8-inch thickness on a well-floured surface, sprinkling flour on and under the dough as needed and sliding a spatula underneath every so often to prevent sticking. If the dough looks crackly or breaks apart, press it back together from the outside edge in. With a 4-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut out gingerbread people as close together on the dough as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each shape and use a small spatula to transfer the people to the prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart. Gather together the scraps, leaving behind the excess flour, and knead them a few times to form a smooth dough again. Reroll them in the same way. (If there are any pieces of dough stuck on your surface, scrape them away with a spatula, flour the surface again and then continue to roll the dough.) Check to see if the cutter fits inside the mugs. If the legs are too wide, gently push the legs of the dough cut-outs closer together to make them fit. Freeze the cookies to firm them, about 15 minutes.
• Bake the cookies in the center of the oven racks, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and also turning them 180 degrees around halfway through baking, until they are slightly firm to the touch but not brown, about 12 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
• Cool the cookies 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before icing. The cookies will continue to firm as they cool.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons water and beat with a hand mixer on low speed until the frosting thickens. The icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly. (If the frosting is overbeaten, it will get aerated, which makes it harder to work with. If this happens, let the frosting sit for a bit to settle, then use a rubber spatula to vigorously beat and smooth out the icing.) Separate the icing into bowls and color as desired.
• Put the icing into piping bags or resealable plastic bags and snip the corners to the desired size. Use the icing to decorate the cookies, piping on bathing suits and sunglasses.
• Pipe a little white icing on the widest end of each gumdrop to make a drink with foam. Dot some icing on 1 hand of each gingerbread person and press the drink into the dot to make it stick. Let the cookies set at room temperature, at least 1 hour.
• For the hot chocolate: Combine the milk, cocoa powder, sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar, cocoa powder and spices are dissolved and the milk is steaming, about 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture come to a boil. Whisk in the chopped chocolate a little at a time until smooth.
• To serve, divide the hot chocolate among 6 to 8 mugs. Insert a gingerbread person with its arms resting on the rim. Add whipped cream and marshmallows as bubbles in the hot tubs.

CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats, and set aside. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream grated ginger and butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
• Add the flour mixture in batches until fully incorporated. Mix in chocolate, cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the sugar in a pie plate. Using a 1-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop the dough into a bowl filled with sugar. Roll each ball of dough in sugar. Bake until surface cracks slightly, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine butter or margarine, molasses, and unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Heat until chocolate melts. Stir until smooth.
• Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, and salt. Stir in melted chocolate mixture and milk. Mix well. Chill until firm.
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees F ( 190 degrees C) for about 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. gingerbread boy cookie cutter; place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough; chill and reroll scraps., Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. Ice and decorate as desired.

CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD MEN

Steps:

• Position racks in the top & bottom thirds of the oven, then preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• With shortening (not on ingredient list) to grease several large baking sheets, then set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder & cloves until spices & coca are evenly distributed, then set aside.
• In a 2nd large bowl, & using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream shortening & brown sugar until smooth & airy, about 1 minute.
• Beat in egg & then the molasses.
• Turn off mixer & add prepared flour mixture, then AT VERY LOW SPEED beat just until crumbly bits of dough form, but not until the mass begins to cohere into a ball.
• With flour lightly dust a clean, dry work surface as well as your hands.
• Turn dough out & knead just until it forms a smooth mass, about 30 seconds.
• Divide into thirds & cover them with a clean kitchen towel.
• With flour lightly dust the work surface again & roll one of the thirds to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Flour the dough & a rolling pin only as necessary.
• Use a large gingerbread-man cookie cutter to cut the dough into the desired shapes, then use a metal spatula to transfer them carefully to the prepared baking sheet(s). Gather any scraps, lightly dust again with flour & roll out a 2nd time, creating additional gingerbread men.
• Decorate the cookies with the raisins & red hots, using one for the eyes & the other for the mouths. Additional red hots can be used as buttons on their coats.
• Bake for 4 minutes, then rotate sheets top to bottom & front to back.
• Bake another 4 minutes, or until cookies feel dry but still are a little soft.
• Remove from oven & cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• Cool the baking sheets for 5 more minutes, then regrease them before baking additional batches, as necessary, OR work with 2 additional baking sheets, preparing them while the others are in the oven.
• Keep no longer than 2 days at room temperature, several more days in the refrigerator, OR up to a month in the freezer.

CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to Gas 4 180C/160C fan. Grease a 30 x 20cm traybake or roasting tin then line with baking parchment.
• Place butter, sugar, syrup, treacle & spices in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and stir until melted. stir in the milk and dissolved bicarbonate of soda.
• Sift flour into a mixing bowl. Slowly pour the melted chocolate onto the flour stirring constantly to create a smooth batter. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35 mins.
• The gingerbread should feel springy when touched and a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. Let the gingerbread cool slightly in tin then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
• To make the icing put the chocolate and cream in a glass bowl then set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does NOT touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted. Pour the icing onto the gingerbread and smooth with a spatula. Don't cut the gingerbread until the icing has cooled completely

GINGERBREAD MEN

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon and pour into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
• Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Tip the dough out, knead briefly until smooth, wrap in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
• Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations, if using.