Gingerbread Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting Food

GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves.
• In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, stevia, molasses, applesauce, ginger, and egg. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Use a tablespoon to scoop out dough. Roll dough into balls. Place on the baking sheet 1 inch apart. Very slightly flatten cookies with your palm.
• Bake until puffy and set, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For frosting, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium speed until very smooth. With mixer running, add butter a little at a time, beating constantly. Add powdered sugar, stevia, and vanilla and beat just until smooth.
• Use a small offset spatula to spread frosting on top of cookies.

GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each with a parchment round.
• Stir together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• Combine the brown sugar and butter in another large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined (it's fine if the mixture looks a little curdled).
• Stir the molasses into the boiling water in a large spouted measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the molasses mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to medium and beat just until smooth.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 22 to 27 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack. Once cool, invert the cakes onto the rack, then peel off and discard the parchment.
• For the frosting: Combine the butter and cream cheese in a clean mixer bowl. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the confectioner's' sugar, beating until combined. Add the vanilla and gradually increase the speed to high. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, adding up to 1 tablespoon of milk if needed so the frosting is spreadable.
• Place one cake layer flat-side down on a cake stand or platter. Top with about 3/4 cup of the frosting, spreading almost to the edges using an offset spatula. Place the remaining cake layer on top, flat-side up. Spread the remaining frosting on the entire cake and smooth the top and sides with the offset spatula. Refrigerate the cake while you decorate the gingerbread cookies.
• For the decorations: Meanwhile, microwave the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl until just melted. (Alternatively, melt the chips in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; do not let bowl touch the water.) Let cool slightly and put into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip (or use a plastic ziptop bag with the corner snipped off). Pipe eyes and smiles on the gingerbread cookie faces.
• Arrange the merry gingerbread men side by side around the bottom edge of the cake, pressing in slightly to adhere. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the nonpareils.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTED GINGERBREAD MEN

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg and ginger. In another bowl, whisk next six ingredients; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 350°. On a surface dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges are firm, 15-18 minutes. Cool completely on pans on wire racks., For frosting, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Beat in confectioners' sugar. Spread or pipe frosting over cookies.

GINGERBREAD COOKIE FROSTING

Steps:

• Sift the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Stir in enough milk to make a smooth but not too runny consistency. You may need to adjust with some more sugar. Divide this mixture into small containers, depending on how many colors you want. Color each small container with colors appropriate for the season, using as much food coloring as needed to create desired hues.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH LEMON FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and molasses. In another bowl, whisk the next 8 ingredients; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Shape into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until tops are cracked, 8-10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients; beat until smooth. Frost cookies. Refrigerate in an airtight container.