Friday, December 16, 2011

Gingerbread Men

This is the first Christmas we have really been able to do a lot of fun things since my oldest is 3 she is excited about it. So I have been trying to think of things to do with my kids and what is more Christmas as kid than decorating gingerbread men. These ones are thick and chewy and they taste delicious.

They did whatever they wanted to them and had a blast!

Gingerbread Men
Recipe Source: MelsKitchenCafe.com

3 cups Flour
3/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Salt
12 Tablespoons Butter, room temperature, cut into 12 pieces
3/4 cup Molasses
2 Tablespoons Milk

1. With an electric mixer, stir together the flour, brown sugar, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture resembles fine meal, about 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the molasses and the milk. Mix until the dough is evenly moistened about 20 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

2. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and divide in half. Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough about a 1/4 inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment paper, stack the dough on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.

4. Remove one dough sheet from the freezer and place on the counter. Peel off the top parchment or wax paper sheet. Gently cut the dough into gingerbread cookies, transferring the shapes to the prepared baking sheets  spacing them 3/4 inch apart. Set the scraps aside. Repeat with the remaining dough until the baking sheets are full. Dough scraps can be rolled and cut as many times as needed.

4. Bake the cookies until set in the centers and the dough barely retains and imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, about 9 minutes. Be careful not overbake! Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies with a wide metal spatula to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature. Frost as desired.
5. Store soft gingerbread in a container or tin with a sheet of parchment paper between the cookie layers. Best eaten within one week.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this recipe!!! It is so hard to find soft, chewy gingerbread! :D

    ReplyDelete

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