Spicy Gingerbread Thins Food

GINGERBREAD CAKE (SPICY)

Steps:

• Butter a 10-inch (10- to 12-cup) bundt pan well and dust with flour, shaking out excess.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat.
• Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl.
• Whisk together eggs and both sugars.
• Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture.
• Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
• Pour batter into bundt pan and bang pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles.
• Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes.
• Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
• You can serve the gingerbread immediately, dusting lightly with confectioners sugar, and/or adding whipped cream.
• You can also hold the gingerbread for a day before serving, as the flavors develop with some time.

THE SPICIEST GINGERBREAD COOKIES EVER

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes (scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed). Beat in the molasses until combined, then the egg (the mixture will look curdled). Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in 2 pieces, flatten each half into a disk and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or 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 one disk refrigerated, roll the other disk on a well-floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick, 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). Using cookie cutters, cut out gingerbread shapes as close together as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each shape then use a small offset spatula to transfer the shapes to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Freeze the cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through cooking, until they are slightly firm to the touch but not browned at the edges, about 12 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting and baking with the remaining dough disk.
• Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes (The cookies will continue to firm as they cool).
• Make the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3 tablespoons water in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the frosting thickens, trying not to incorporate too much air. (The icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly.)
• Scrape the icing into a resealable plastic bag and snip the corner to the desired size. Pipe the icing onto the cookies to decorate, as desired, sticking the candy onto the icing while it is still wet. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the icing hardens, at least 1 hour.

THIN, CRISP GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade, process flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda until combined,.
• about 10 seconds. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture is sandy and resembles very fine meal, about 15 seconds. With machine running, gradually add molasses and milk; process until dough is evenly moistened and forms soft mass, about 10 seconds. Alternatively, in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and add butter pieces; mix at medium-low speed until mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, gradually add molasses and milk; mix until dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.
• Scrape dough onto work surface; divide into quarters. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll 1/8-inch thick between two large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving dough sandwiched between parchment layers, stack on cookie sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Alternatively, refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight.
• Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove one dough sheet from freezer; place on work surface. Peel off top parchment sheet and gently lay it back in place. Flip dough over; peel off and discard second parchment layer. Cut dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, transferring shapes to parchment-lined cookie sheets with wide metal spatula, spacing them 3/4 inch apart; set scraps aside. Repeat with remaining dough until cookie sheets are full. Bake cookies until slightly darkened and firm in centers when pressed with finger, about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating cookie sheets front to back and switching positions top to bottom halfway through baking time. Do not overbake. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes, then remove with wide metal spatula to wire rack; cool to room temperature.
• Gather scraps; repeat rolling, cutting, and baking in steps 2 and 4. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is used.

BOLD AND SPICY GINGERBREAD WITH A KICK

Steps:

• CAKE:.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Grease and flour 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
• Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat until bubbling.
• Stir in ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• Whisk eggs, sugar, and fresh ginger in large bowl until light and frothy.
• Stir in melted butter mixture, molasses and stout until incorporated.
• Whisk flour mixture into egg mixture until no lumps remain.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and gently tap pan on countertop to release any trapped air bubbles.
• Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan 20 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and let cool completely.
• GLAZE:.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar, ginger ale, and ginger in bowl until smooth.
• Pour glaze over cooled cake.
• Let glaze set 15 minutes.
• Serve.
• Cake can be stored at room temperature, covered in plastic wrap, for 2 days.

SPICY GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift flour, baking soda, salt and spices in large bowl; set aside. Mix dressing and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Blend in eggs. Gradually add sifted dry ingredients alternately with molasses, mixing well after each addition.
• Pour into greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool; cut into squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.