In the realm of holiday baking, few treats evoke the spirit of Christmas quite like the iconic gingerbread boys and girls. These delectable, spiced cookies, traditionally adorned with vibrant icing, are a festive culinary delight that fills homes with sweet aromas and brings joy to people of all ages. Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting your culinary adventures, embarking on the journey to create the perfect gingerbread boys and girls can be both exciting and fulfilling. But with so many recipes available, finding the one that suits your taste and skill level can be daunting. To help you navigate the world of gingerbread baking, we've compiled a comprehensive guide that will lead you to the best recipe for crafting these beloved treats. Let's dive into the wonderful world of gingerbread and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
GINGERBREAD BOYS AND GIRLS
The holidays wouldn't be the same without these gingerbread cut-outs!
Provided by Paula Deen
Time 30m
Yield 30
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll onto a floured board until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters. You can reroll the scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies from the board to the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
- To make the icing, combine the confectioner's sugar and milk. Divide the mixture into thirds; leave one-third white, and color one-third green and the final third red. Decorate piping eyes, mouths, buttons, and bow ties. Makes between 18-24 cookies.
GINGERBREAD BOY AND GIRL CAKES
For an adorable cake to serve at a child's birthday party, try this recipe. They are not only cute but delicious gingerbread cakes.-Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Greendale, Wisconsin
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h25m
Yield 12-15 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- In a bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a bowl, combine the molasses and water. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture. Pour into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan lined with waxed paper. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes; invert onto a wire rack. Remove waxed paper; cool completely., In a bowl, cream shortening, butter and vanilla. Beat in confectioners' sugar and milk. Place 1/2 cup of frosting each in two bowls. Tint one red and leave the other white. Place 1/4 cup frosting in another bowl; tint gold. Place 1 cup of frosting in another bowl; tint dark tan., Trace patterns onto waxed paper as directed and cut out. With a sharp knife, cut around patterns on gingerbread. Transfer cutouts onto a 16x11-in. covered board. , With tan frosting, frost girl's head, upper torso and bottom edge and boy's head, arms and legs. With gold, frost boy's overalls and make a heart centered at girl's waistline. Frost hear skirt red., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert round tip. Fill with remaining red frosting. Pipe buttons on boy, bow on girl and smile on both., Prepare another bag; insert star tip and fill with white frosting. On both boy and girl, pipe a zigzag border at neckline and 1 in. from the tip of each arm. On the girl, pipe above and below the skirt and 1/4 in. from her feet. On the boy, pipe 1/4 in. from the top of his head, below shorts and 1/2 in. from the bottom of his feet. Insert M&M's for eyes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 538 calories, Fat 23g fat (8g saturated fat), Cholesterol 45mg cholesterol, Sodium 329mg sodium, Carbohydrate 79g carbohydrate (53g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 4g protein.
GINGERBREAD BOYS WITH A BITE
These gingerbread men have a real bite. I found this old recipe for gingerbread men somewhere, and when I went to make them I decided to add my own personal touches! This is my own recipe and it is always a favorite at the cookie swap and at the holidays. The icing gives me the shivers because I like to add a lot of lemon juice (it goes wonderfully with the spicy gingerbread), and that is how it got its name.
Provided by Food Network
Categories dessert
Time 3h48m
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- For the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and molasses, and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, and mix until incorporated and a dough is formed. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
- Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thick, and cut gingerbread men with cookie cutters. Transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until set, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
- For the icing:
- In a mixer, combine sugar, cream of tartar, and egg whites*, and beat until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Mix in the lemon juice to taste. Transfer icing to a piping bag and decorate gingerbread men.
GINGERBREAD BOYS AND GIRLS
These cookies are formed by cookie cutters. By using a toothpick to make a hole in the top of the cookie, you can hang them on the tree. You can also make paint out of egg yolks, and food coloring to make them more colorful--use as much food coloring as needed to create desired hue. My girls and I would spend hours making these cookies each Christmas so we could hang them on the tree.
Provided by Cindy B.
Categories Gingerbread Cookies
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Mix shortening, brown sugar, and molasses thoroughly. Stir in 2/3 cup water. Blend flour, soda, salt, and spices; stir into molasses mixture. Chill for about 1 hour.
- Roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with boy and girl cookie cutters.
- Make egg yolk paint by blending egg yolks and 1/2 teaspoon water. Divide the yolk among a few small bowls, and add food coloring to each cup for desired color. Paint the clothes and decorations on the cookies as desired. Carefully transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet. Using a toothpick, make a hole in the top of each cookie. Press raisins into dough for eyes, nose, mouth. Use bits of candied cherries for coat buttons, and strips of citron for ties.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly, then carefully remove from baking sheet.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 545.8 calories, Carbohydrate 113 g, Cholesterol 34.1 mg, Fat 7.3 g, Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 8.4 g, SaturatedFat 1.8 g, Sodium 428.4 mg, Sugar 46.9 g
GINGERBREAD BOYS
These lightly spiced festive gingerbread fellows are great to munch on. And if I punch a hole in the cutout shapes before baking, I can use the sturdy cookies as tree ornaments, too. -Dore' Merrick Grabski, Utica, New York
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 25m
Yield about 2 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- In a bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg; mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours., On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 4-in. cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate as desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 144 calories, Fat 6g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 9mg cholesterol, Sodium 107mg sodium, Carbohydrate 21g carbohydrate (8g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 2g protein.
GINGERBREAD BOYS
These are the best gingerbread men I've ever eaten. They have a nice light flavor with a hint of orange.
Provided by JBS BOX
Categories Desserts Cookies Gingerbread Cookie Recipes
Time 2h25m
Yield 60
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the orange peel and dark corn syrup. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and salt, mixing until well combined. Chill dough for at least 2 hours, I like to chill overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are firm and lightly toasted on the edges.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 72.8 calories, Carbohydrate 10.4 g, Cholesterol 11.2 mg, Fat 3.2 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 0.8 g, SaturatedFat 2 g, Sodium 85.5 mg, Sugar 5.2 g
CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD BOYS AND GIRLS
A classic gets a chocolate twist in these chocolate gingerbread cookies. Fun to make and eat. Everyone loves them. This is a icing option that the Zaar puter doesn't like: colored icing in tubes instead of the colored vanilla icing.
Provided by Annacia
Categories Dessert
Time 52m
Yield 30 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Microwave 1 1/2 cups morsels in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; STIR. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature.
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in small mixer bowl until creamy; beat in molasses and melted chocolate. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with water, beating until smooth. Cover; refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roll half of dough to ¼-inch thickness on floured surface with floured rolling pin. Cut dough into gingerbread boy and girl shapes using cookie cutters or a stencil. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still slightly soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
- Place remaining morsels in heavy-duty plastic bag. Microwave on HIGH (100%) power for 30 to 45 seconds; knead. Microwave for 10 seconds; knead until smooth. Cut tiny corner from bag; squeeze to pipe chocolate. Decorate cookies with piped chocolate and prepared frosting or icing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 190.8, Fat 7.1, SaturatedFat 3.2, Cholesterol 3, Sodium 120.3, Carbohydrate 31.7, Fiber 1, Sugar 20.1, Protein 1.7
Tips:
- Proper Ingredients: Ensure you have the correct ingredients and measurements. Fresh and high-quality ingredients yield the best results.
- Creaming butter and sugar: Creaming butter and sugar together until light and fluffy is essential for trapping air and creating a tender cookie. Creaming also helps dissolve the sugar, resulting in a smoother texture.
- Chilling the Dough: Chilling the dough before rolling and baking helps prevent spreading and maintains the cookie's shape.
- Rolling the Dough: Roll the dough evenly to a consistent thickness to ensure uniform baking.
- Baking Temperature: Preheat the oven to the correct temperature and follow the recipe's baking time guidelines. Ovens vary, so adjust the baking time if necessary.
- Decorating: Let the cookies cool completely before decorating to prevent smudging. Use a variety of frosting, sprinkles, and candies to make your gingerbread people and girls unique.
Conclusion:
With careful preparation, attention to detail, and a bit of creativity, you can create beautiful and delicious gingerbread boys and girls that will be a delightful addition to your holiday celebrations. Experiment with different decorating techniques and let your imagination run wild to make your gingerbread creations truly memorable. From traditional designs to whimsical characters, the possibilities are endless. So gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and embark on a festive baking adventure that will fill your home with the sweet aroma of gingerbread and holiday cheer.
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