Most gingerbread recipes usually contains an ingredient called 'molasses' which we do not usually have it at home. Hence, this always give me a reason (or excuse) for me to not get started. Determined to do it this year, I went online to find a recipe that is simple and can be easily made.
The recipe I found on mycookinghut.com is simple with ingredients that I can get from any supermarket locally. In fact, I managed to baked at least 30-40 medium-size Gingerbread Man.
You will not believe how excited I am when I see (and taste) the final product. It is heartening that it received pretty good review from my friends and they wanted to try after seeing the photo I posted on Facebook.
Do note that the recipe may not be as hard/crunchy as a cookie as it is more like a gingerbread that is soft.
Gingerbread Man
Ingredients:
125g butter, softened plus extra for greasing
100g brown sugar
125ml golden syrup
1 egg, separated
375g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g icing sugar
1-2 drops red food colouring
1-2 drops blue food colouring
Method:
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease the baking tray(s) with melted butter.
- Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk. Beat them well.
- Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- Use an electric beater to beat the egg white until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Divide icing among 3 bowls. Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add red and blue colourings to the remaining two bowls respectively. Store them in the fridge like the first bowl.
- Take out the dough and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 2-3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.
- Place prepared icings in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate.
- You may want to place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper so that it will not stick to the roller.
- Put the remaining dough back to fridge after you have filled up the baking tray so that the dough remains manageable for cuts.
- Replaced some brown sugar with white sugar if you like the final product to be slightly harder.