For a jolly and joyful Christmas, build your own Gingerbread Man with love and creativity.
A novelty dessert, which is known as Gingerbread Man, is usually made up of cookie dough. It is then cut, baked into cute little pieces and then, designed with icing and sprinkles.
Everyone has their own type of recipe. But the most popular one is making the dough, cutting it into the desired shape, baking it and adding icing on top of it alongside other decorations. Gingerbread Man is a traditional Christmas food.
Nevertheless, it is now quite popular during the Christmas celebrations, where people make Gingerbread Man that can be little or large depending on their preferences. But usually people make the smaller ones as they fit neatly into the oven.
The designs and ways of making the Gingerbread Man are completely up to you. However, we are going with the traditional way of making it. So, let’s get started:
Ingredients
- 6 cups all-purpose flour (some more for rolling the dough)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoons ground cloves or allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170g) butter, softened
- ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon water
For the icing
- 2 large egg whites
- 2/3 cups powdered sugar
Stand mixer and piping bag or freezer bag might also be needed.
Way of making Gingerbread Man
- Whisk the flour and spices
In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves or allspice, and salt all together. And set it aside.
- Make the butter, sugar, egg, and molasses mixture
Beat the butter and brown sugar at medium speed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, until it becomes frothy and mixed well. To thoroughly blend, beat the eggs, molasses, and some water in the mixing bowl.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and knead the dough
Until fully combined and smooth, beat half of the flour mixture. When the remaining flour has been thoroughly incorporated, soft and cohesive dough has formed. Continue mixing. Turn the dough, add some flour, and knead by hand for a few minutes, until the dough is smooth and mixed well.
- Divide the dough and wrap it
Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or at least for 2 hours.
- Cutting the dough
Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and dust it lightly with flour while rolling the dough. Then, cut the dough with the Gingerbread Man-shaped cutter.
- Baking
Bake the Gingerbread Man in a 350 fahrenheit oven for about 10-15 minutes. Cool it for about 15 minutes after taking it out from the oven.
- Trim
Trim off any parts of the pieces that have become distorted during baking them.
- Making Icing
Whisk the egg whites and powdered sugar together, until it becomes smooth. Add some more powdered sugar and beat it at high speed.
- Icing on Gingerbread Man
Fill a pastry bag with the icing, and start working on the Gingerbread Man. Decorate the Gingerbread Man as per your wish. You can even add some sprinkles on top of it.
Viola! Your Gingerbread Man is ready! Serve it to the kids. It will make their Christmas a memorable one.
Photos Credit: Goodto, Shutter stock
Compiled By: Nikita Gautam
Also Read: