Gingerbread Man Cookie Food

THE BEST GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves in a large bowl.
• Mix the butter, shortening, brown sugar and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the egg. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and pat to 1/2-inch thick. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to 1/4-inch thick, dusting with flour if needed. Cut into 3- to 5-inch cookies with a gingerbread man cutter or desired shape. Brush off the excess flour and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
• Bake the cookies in batches until they are golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
• For the royal icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar with the meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in 6 tablespoons of water until well combined and you have stiff glossy peaks, adding 1 tablespoon more water at a time to reach a smooth pipeable consistency. Mix in food coloring as desired. Fill pastry bags fitted with tips. Decorate the gingerbread cookies with the icing.

GINGERBREAD MEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla;mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to5 days.

GINGERBREAD MEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine butter with sugar and corn syrup until smooth.
• Add the vanilla and the egg, mix well.
• Sift together dry ingredients and add slowly to the sugar/butter mixture.
• Blend until dough is smooth.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least one hour, or overnight.
• On a floured surface, roll out dough until 1/4 inch thick, cut with cookie cutters.
• Bake on a slightly greased cookie sheet in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
• Allow to cool before decorating with icing.

GINGERBREAD MAN COOKIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Beat butter, sugar, molasses, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the water.
• Mix on low speed until the water is combined, then add the flour.
• Mix in the flour just until incorporated and there are no dry bits. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again, if necessary.
• Wrap the dough in plastic and place in the fridge for two hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Once chilled, lightly dust a surface with flour and roll cookie dough to about ¼" thick.
• Cut your desired shape and place on parchment lined baking sheets.
• Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes for ¼" thick cookies.
• Allow cookies to cool and decorate with piping glaze.
• 11. Enjoy your new favorite gingerbread cookies recipe!

GINGERBREAD MEN

Steps:

• Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice into a medium bowl; set aside. Melt the butter and shortening in a medium saucepan; remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar and molasses. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly.
• Add the egg to the butter mixture; beat with a mixer on medium speed until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture in two additions until just combined. Divide the dough in half; wrap each half in plastic wrap and pat into 1/2-inch-thick disks. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as needed. Cut out gingerbread men with a 3 1/2- to 5-inch cookie cutter and arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush off the excess flour and refrigerate the cutouts 15 minutes.
• Bake the cookies until golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 3 to 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Decorate with royal icing and let harden at room temperature, about 1 hour.

GLUTEN-FREE GINGERBREAD MEN

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, sift together the rice, tapioca and buckwheat flours, the baking soda, xanthan gum, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whisk until well blended, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream the butter with the brown sugar until the mixture is light, airy and pale tan, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix again on medium until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the molasses and vanilla, and mix again at medium speed for another minute. Add half the dry ingredients and mix on low until incorporated. Add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together in small clumps. (The dough will resemble thick brownie batter.) If the dough is too wet and not clumpy, add another tablespoon or two of rice flour. Using your hands, bring the dough together into a ball and knead for 1 minute, or until you can make a smooth ball of dough. Shape the dough into a disk and place in a resealable plastic bag, removing excess air. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. (If the dough chills much longer than an hour, let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften before proceeding.)
• When ready to make the cookies, adjust oven racks to the top and bottom thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
• Divide the dough in 3 equal portions. Refrigerate two portions while you work on the first. Roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness. (Best method for GF cookies is to use parchment paper barely dusted with rice flour on the top and bottom of the dough - this avoids needing to use a lot of extra bench flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter). Use cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men. You should be able to cut out 5 to 6 gingerbread men from each third of the dough, assuming they are 3 inches tall. Gather and re-roll the scraps. (Don't worry about overworking the dough, there isn't any gluten.)
• Arrange the gingerbread men on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart and bake until the edges just begin to take on golden color, 8 to 10 minutes. (For softer cookies, cook a minute or 2 less.) Let the cookies cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, and then remove and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool completely.
• Repeat the process for the remaining dough portions.
• Once completely cooled, decorate the cookies with colored Easy Royal Icing, along with candies, nuts and sprinkles.
• In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on low speed to mix the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the orange juice and vanilla and mix again until blended. Sift in the confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then mix on low speed until incorporated. After the third cup of sugar is added, keep mixing until the icing is smooth, thick and shiny, about 2 more minutes. (Add an extra tablespoon or 2 of confectioners' sugar if the icing seems runnier, like a glaze.) Divide into 2 or 3 portions, add desired amount of food coloring and mix well.
• Fill a few tablespoons of royal icing in the corner of a resealable plastic bag, snip the tip and draw (or spread the icing with a paintbrush) onto the cookies (thin with a drop or 2 of extra juice). Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden the icing.

GINGERBREAD MAN MUG MATES

Steps:

• For the gingerbread people: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice 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, scraping the sides of the bowl down as needed, until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses and vanilla until combined, then beat in 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 the ingredients are well incorporated and you have a sticky dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten into 2 discs and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 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 disc refrigerated, roll 1 disc on a well-floured surface to a thickness of just over 1/8-inch, 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.) Dust off the excess flour. Cut out gingerbread people using a 3-inch gingerbread cookie cutter, cutting as close together on the dough as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each cookie and use a small spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets about 1/2 inch apart, placed in 3 rows of 4. Gather together the scraps, leaving behind the excess flour, then knead them a few times to form a smooth dough again. Reroll them in the same way. If the dough gets too sticky, put it back in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic, for a few minutes. (If there are any pieces of dough stuck to the work surface, scrape them away with a spatula, flour the surface again and then continue to roll the dough.) Freeze the cookies on the baking sheets to firm them, about 5 minutes.
• While the cookies chill, roll the dough scraps together into a long 1/4-inch rope and cut into 1-inch pieces. Remove the chilled cookies from the freezer and extend the left arm of each man with the 1-inch dough pieces by pressing the dough piece onto the tip of each person's arm. (This will reinforce them and double their length.) Make sure the gingerbread people are lined up evenly.
• Wrap eight 12-inch-long and 1/4-inch-diameter wooden dowels tightly with foil (keep them smooth), then spray them liberally with cooking spray. Line up 4 gingerbread people head-to-toe and wrap their left arms around the dowel, so that 4 people can hold one dowel at a time with 1/4 inch of space in between them. Repeat with the remaining groups of 4 and chill the cookies on the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second disc of dough on the second baking sheet.
• Bake the cookies, rotating and switching the position of the baking sheets halfway through, until they are slightly firm to the touch but not browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Cool the cookies 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack and give the dowels a gentle twist to loosen them. Let the cookies cool completely, then slowly slide the cookies off the dowels one at a time, being careful not to break their arms. (The cookies will continue to firm as they cool.)
• For the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons water and beat with a hand mixer on low speed until the frosting thickens and becomes pure white. 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, then allow to dry, about 1 hour.
• Carefully slide the candy canes in place, with the hook facing behind each head, and pipe a small amount of icing in the holes to lock them in place. Rest on the edge of a cookie sheet with the hooks hanging off to set, about 1 hour.
• Hang cookies on a mug or glass filled with your favorite holiday beverage.

GINGERBREAD MAN COOKIES /HOUSE

Steps:

• Warm molasses in a saucepan or microwave, but do not boil just to soften. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Let cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
• Add butter mixture and egg and mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour until dough becomes stiff enough to roll.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
• Divide dough in half. Place each half between sheets of plastic wrap and roll out to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. I also roll in between sil pads. And I find just rolling out on a slip pad is easy. Refrigerate one half while you roll out the other half, so dough is kept cold.
• For Cookies:.
• Dip the plastic cookie cutter in flour and cut shapes. I found without the flour was fine and had no problem with release from the metal cookie cutter. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely on wire racks, then decorate cookies as desired.
• For houses:.
• Roll out dough right onto the bottom side of cookie pan or on a edge free cookie pan that is lined with parchment. Maximum thickness for dough should be 3/8-inch. For houses larger than 6 inches square, use 1/4-inch thickness and for smaller houses, use 1/8-inch. Weight-bearing walls should be just slightly thicker. Place the template and cut house pieces using a ruler to guide for smooth straight edges. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Proceed with decorating.

GINGERBREAD MEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg and water. In another bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients minus frosting; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; cover. Refrigerate until easy to handle, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 4-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets., Bake until edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Frost as desired.