Gingerbread men are traditional spiced shortbread cookies typical of the Christmas season, easy to make, they are also ideal as homemade gifts, perhaps paired with jars of flavored sugar! They are fun to make with children who can enjoy cutting the shapes and decorating them once baked. You can decorate with classic royal icing or chocolate sprinkles as I did, and you will see how beautiful they look once finished and packaged. Gingerbread men will be loved by those who receive them as gifts or find them ready to enjoy at home! So now, get to work in the kitchen as Christmas approaches, and meanwhile, try them out!
If you love shortcrust pastry sweets, then also try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 15
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients for Gingerbread Men
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup low glycemic index flour (type 1)
- 2 eggs
- 7 tbsp clarified butter (at room temperature)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch fine salt
- as needed chocolate heart-shaped decorations
Useful Tools
- Stand Mixer
- Parchment Paper
- Bowls
- Kitchen Scale
- Spoon
- Cookie Cutter
- Work Surface
- Plastic Wrap
Preparing the Gingerbread Men
In this recipe, I use a stand mixer (to make it easier) but you can easily knead by hand, just follow the sequence of ingredients in the various steps!
Start by placing all the spices listed in the recipe plus the pinch of salt in a small bowl and mix them with a spoon until blended.
Insert the flat beater into the stand mixer, pour the room temperature butter, eggs, sugar, and honey into the bowl, and mix for 1 minute at speed 2.
Now add the two flours and the spice mix prepared earlier into the bowl, run the stand mixer at speed 2 for 2 minutes, then at speed 4 for 1 minute, voilà the shortbread is ready!
Turn out the shortbread onto the work surface, compact it into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge to rest for 1 hour before using it.
After the resting time in the fridge, retrieve the shortbread, flour the work surface, and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness using a rolling pin, cut out the men with the appropriate cutter, then knead the scraps and roll out again, and continue in this way until all the dough is used (with these quantities, you get 15 pieces).
Place each gingerbread man on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, preheat the oven to 390°F.
When the oven reaches the temperature, bake the cookies and cook for 12-14 minutes, always check the baking, once baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool without touching them (if touched while hot, they are still soft, and you risk breaking them).
Once cooled, decorate them by putting on the heart-shaped chocolate eyes (attach them with a drop of liquid honey), now they are ready to be enjoyed or packaged and given as gifts!
GINGERBREAD MEN
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Notes and Tips on Gingerbread Men
To decorate them traditionally, you can use royal icing and create the designs you want.
To gift them, you can package them in transparent cellophane bags closed with white and red ties reminiscent of candy canes.
You can add 1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough if desired.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I skip the ground cloves?
Yes, you can skip the ground cloves.
Can I use brown sugar?
Yes, you can use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
