Today’s Christmas recipe: gingerbread men cookies (gingerbread man).
The gingerbread man is a ginger-flavored cookie that originated from the imagination of Queen Elizabeth I of England, who had them prepared for her guests.
These cookies, made of shortcrust pastry with a strong, spicy aroma of ginger and cinnamon, are shaped like little men, and are often used as Christmas tree decorations after being decorated with royal icing. Other times, they are packaged in tin boxes or small bags to be given as Christmas gifts along with homemade preserves, nougat, or other typical products of this period.
The texture of these treats is soft, and the color should be dark thanks to the presence of molasses, which is often replaced with honey, as I have done, due to its difficulty to find. Making gingerbread cookies is very simple; of course, as with all recipes, there are many versions. Here is mine, which I’ve found the best after trying several. You can have fun making little men or stars, little trees, or snowmen to brighten up your table.
Let’s see together, step by step, how to make this recipe.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 60 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients for 60 gingerbread men
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg (medium)
- 2/3 cup butter (cold)
- 1/2 cup honey (or molasses)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ounce egg white
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- to taste red food coloring
Tools
Below you will find links to some of the tools used to make the recipe
- 1 Scale
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Cookie Cutter
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Rolling Pin
Let’s Begin!
In the mixer bowl, place the flour (leaving half a tablespoon for the work surface), ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cold butter cut into pieces. Turn on the mixer and mix until sandy by running the machine at maximum speed for a few seconds, then add the egg and honey (or molasses).
Turn on the mixer again at maximum speed and let it run until a homogeneous ball is formed, which will take very little time. Transfer the dough to a work surface where you have put the remaining flour, and quickly knead. The dough will be very soft, so try to handle it as little as possible, then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
After the necessary time, take the dough and divide it into four parts, placing three in the fridge and using one. Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a work surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch with the help of a rolling pin. The dough will be soft, so dust with a bit of flour if needed. Cut with the cookie cutter and place each cookie on a baking tray with parchment paper, continuing until all the dough is used.
Bake in a preheated oven at a temperature of 356°F for 10/12 minutes. Do not worry if they seem too soft when taken out of the oven; they will harden a little as they cool.
To decorate our cookies, we need royal icing, which is very simple to prepare. For it to be perfect and have precise lines, the icing must be compact and semi-plastic, and with the quantities I used, I managed to achieve a good consistency.
In a bowl, place the egg white with lemon juice and quickly whisk to create foam, then add the powdered sugar and continue beating until the mixture is compact and dense. Pour a little royal icing into a small bowl and add a couple of drops of red coloring, then mix. If you want it brighter, add one drop of color at a time to avoid making the icing too liquid. Cover the unused royal icing with plastic wrap. Place the royal icing in piping bags with small nozzles and decorate the cookies.
Decorate the gingerbread men cookies only when they are completely cool, preferably the next day. In the meantime, take a picture of a cookie, post it on social media tagging me (una riccia che pasticcia) and let me know who you will give them to. Merry Christmas!
A Curly Suggests
Gingerbread cookies keep well in a tin box for a month.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What should I do if I want to use gingerbread cookies to decorate the Christmas tree?
Before putting the cookies in the oven, make a small hole at the top of the head with a straw or a toothpick to create a spot for a ribbon. Remember that the cookies will rise slightly, so don’t make it too small.
What can I do if the royal icing becomes liquid after adding coloring?
You can add a little powdered sugar and mix again until you achieve the desired consistency.
