Soft Ginger Cut Outs Food

SOFT GINGER CUT-OUTS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the white sugar, molasses and coffee.
• Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and ground ginger. Add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate dough for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
• Roll chilled dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 3 or 4 inch sized cookie cutters. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Let cookies cool on wire racks.
• To Make Frosting: Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups white sugar, the water and vinegar in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer reads 234-240 degrees F (112-115 degrees C), softball stage. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove form the heat and stir in the marshmallows until smooth.
• In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until frothy. Gradually beat in the sugar/marshmallow mixture and continue beating, on high, for 7 to 8 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Frost the cooled cookies. Let the frosting harden before storing the cookies in an airtight container.

SOFT GINGER CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the molasses, water and vinegar. Combine the flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle., On a heavily floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIE CUT-OUTS

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Put the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl and paddle as needed, about 4 minutes more. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and beat until smooth.
• Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the flour mixture in two batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl and paddle as needed. Mix until incorporated.
• Divide the dough in half and shape into two flattened disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. Remove the dough from the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before rolling, to soften.
• Position oven racks to the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Now flour parchment for rolling: Dust a piece of parchment with flour, place a disk of dough on it, dust the disk with flour, then cover it with a second piece of parchment. Roll out the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes with 11/2- to 2-inch cookie cutters. Gather up the scraps, re-roll and cut out. (Chill the scraps if the dough becomes too soft.) Roll and cut out the remaining disk of dough. Working in batches, arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake the cookies until the tops look dry and no indentation is left when pressed with your finger, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then use a metal spatula to transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
• Decorate with royal icing as desired. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3/4 cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Mix on medium-low speed until pure white and stiff enough to form peaks.
• Add up to 1 tablespoon food coloring if using and mix with a rubber spatula until the color is uniform. Store at room temperature, covered, with plastic wrap on the surface for up to 2 days. Re-whip until smooth before using.

SOFT GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the molasses, brown sugar, water and butter until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, allspice, ginger, cloves and cinnamon, stir them into the wet mixture until all of the dry is absorbed. Cover the dough and chill for at least 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out into desired shapes. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

SOFT GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Beat the butter in a stand mixer or with electric beaters until it is soft and then beat in, one by one, the sugar, golden syrup and treacle. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Tip in the flour, baking powder and ginger along with a pinch of salt and beat in the flour on a slow speed until it is just combined. The dough will be very soft at this point. Scrape the dough into a container and chill it in the fridge for about 8 hours or overnight. You don't have to leave it for this long but it does improve the flavour.
• To roll out the dough you'll need a non-stick work surface that is lightly dusted with flour. Scoop out a small batch of the dough (it will still be very soft) and roll it out carefully to about 2mm thick. Cut out gingerbread people or circles and transfer them to a lined baking sheet. When you have filled the sheet (leaving enough room for spreading) put it into the fridge for 30 mins along with the remaining dough (you can freeze the dough in batches, if you like).
• Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Cook the gingerbread for the 10-12 minutes depending on level of crispness don't try and remove them from the sheet until the gingerbread shapes have cooled enough. Cool completely and then decorate if you want. You can freeze the cooked gingerbread if you like, or keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container

THE MOST WONDERFUL GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.
• In a large bowl (KitchenAid's great for this) beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
• Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
• Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
• Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 deg. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
• (Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. Return to room temp before using.) Preheat oven to 375°.
• Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
• Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.
• Roll dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick.
• Use additional flour to avoid sticking.
• Cut out cookies with desired cutter-- the ginger bread man is our favorite of course.
• Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.
• Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies-- very good!).
• Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
• After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.
• I usually brush them with a powdered sugar glaze when I am in a hurry, but they look wonderful decorated with Royal icing.

SOFT GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl or in a food processor or mixer add butter, and brown sugar mix until creamed. Add egg, vanilla, honey, molasses and orange zest. Mix until well combined.
• 2. In a separate bowl sift in flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and ground cloves. Add to wet batter little by little until well combined. The dough will be wet still but it wont stick to your hands. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 1 hour. I like to make mine the day before. You can either roll into a log or do cut outs.
• 3. Pre heat oven to 350 line cookie sheets with parchment or spray the pans. I like to cut mine into shapes so I flour a board and roll out to 1/4 inch thick and let my kids go wild with the cookie cutters. When you bake them they won't expand much so 1 inch apart is ok. Cook in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 then in cooling rack if you have one. Decorate and enjoy. Dough can be frozen as well.