Gingerbread cookies “Gingerbread men. Recipe for gingerbread cookies with "men" icing

The story of the gingerbread man is very similar to our fairy tale about Kolobok, but if a dish based on a recipe from a Russian folk tale is unlikely to amaze your taste buds, then gingerbread men have conquered half the world! Simple-shaped cookies have become one of the symbols of Christmas in Europe and America, but we, looking at the West, also want to dilute the usual holiday dishes with something unusual. But how are gingerbread men prepared and how are they decorated? We invite you to try 3 recipes that make the best cookies.

Basic gingerbread men recipe

By and large, a classic with an abundance of spices will be the ideal basis for our culinary experiment, so if you have already baked and liked them, you can not change anything and use the same recipe. For those who are dealing with ginger dough for the first time, we offer a simple recipe for a very tasty dough that will definitely not let you down.

What do you need?

• Flour - 500 grams.
• Butter - 250 grams.
• Sugar - 150-200 grams.
• Honey - 50 grams.
• Baking powder - 2 tsp.
• Egg - 2 pcs.
• Dried cinnamon - 2 tsp.
• Dried ginger - 3 tsp.
• Cardamom - 0.5 tsp.

Gingerbread men have a special shape that cannot be confused with anything else: without a purchased cutting mold it will be difficult to reproduce it

What to do?

• Leave the butter to soften almost to room temperature, mash it with a fork or in a food processor with the egg, honey and sugar until smooth. Honey can be preheated in the microwave or in a water bath, but if the honey is too hot, the egg will curdle, so be careful.
• Separately mix the flour with other dry ingredients: baking powder and spices. If you're worried about the cookies being too pale, the honey will already make the cookies brown, but you can also darken the cookies by substituting brown sugar for some of the regular sugar.
• Place the dry mixture into the food processor or mix the liquid part with a dry fork. After mixing, the dough should stick together into large, non-sticky lumps that can be easily formed into a ball. If you feel that the dough is a little liquid or, conversely, a little dry, add flour or butter so that the consistency of the dough becomes a little like marzipan.
• The ball wrapped in cling film should remain in the refrigerator for about an hour. After this, it needs to be rolled out, cut out and placed in an oven preheated to 180˚C as soon as possible. Why fast? As soon as the butter begins to melt, it will become increasingly difficult to make the contours of the people clear. In the heat they will melt before you even put the pan in the oven, so for the best results you need to work either quickly or in a cool room. As for rolling out, you will have to make an effort. Rolling out the ginger dough to 3-5 mm is not easy, as it is dense and tends to come apart. It is best to do this between two sheets of baking paper or on a silicone mat, from which, by the way, it will be easiest to transfer the cut out cookies to a baking sheet.
• Bake the cookies on baking paper for about 7 minutes, but it is important to constantly monitor their color. Don't wait until the cookies turn brown in the oven, as they will turn out to be burnt sweets. Remove the baking sheet as soon as the cookies begin to brown around the edges.

It is from this recipe that you can start and fantasize further, adding non-standard ingredients and adjusting the proportions of sugar and spices to your taste.

Lenten gingerbread men with zest and fresh ginger

Gingerbread men are popular not only during the New Year holidays, and for those who want to make them during Lent, there is a recipe that excludes butter and egg. This recipe is also suitable for vegetarians, as it does not contain any animal ingredients.

What do you need?

• 400 grams of flour.
• 100 grams of sugar.
• 100 ml sweet syrup.
• 100 ml vegetable oil.
• 2 tsp. dried ginger.
• 2-3 tsp. dried or fresh grated zest.
• 1 tsp. baking powder for dough.

If “lean” means “diet” for you, you can replace complex sugar syrup with store-bought syrup with a sweetener in small quantities

What to do?

• First you need to prepare a syrup from sugar, spices and sweet syrup: mix these ingredients and bring to a boil in a saucepan.
• When the resulting syrup has cooled a little, add butter and add in small portions flour, previously mixed with baking powder and purchased or pre-grated zest.
• Finding the right consistency for such a lean dough is more difficult, because it is not at all similar to what is obtained according to the classic recipe. Be guided by the fact that the lump of dough should practically not stick to your hands.
• Rolling out such dough is also more difficult, and you are unlikely to get a thin layer, so lean gingerbread men will be more likely to be fluffy, and you need to bake them at 180˚C a little longer: about 12-15 minutes.

By the way, the zest can be used from either a lemon, an orange or a tangerine, which will add a special charm to the cookies during the Christmas season. The main thing is to remember that when removing the zest, do not touch the white soft part of the skin.

Gingerbread men with cocoa and chocolate chips

For those who love a rich brown color and chocolate flavor in everything, we suggest moving a little away from the classic gingerbread dough and diluting it with a small amount of chocolate. These cookies can be proudly presented as a gift, because they look very impressive, and if you paint them with icing, you will get a real masterpiece!

What do you need?

• Flour - 200 grams.
• Butter - 120 grams.
• Sugar - 70-80 grams.
• Chocolate - 50 grams.
• Cocoa - 2 tsp.
• Baking powder - 1 tsp.
• Egg - 1 pc.
• Dried ginger - 1 tsp.

The thicker you roll out the dough, the more the men will look like gingerbread cookies, but the longer they will need to bake

What to do?
In general, the procedure is the same as in the basic recipe, only you need to immediately add cocoa and pieces of chocolate to the dry mixture with baking powder and spices, which can be chopped with a knife. There is no need to grind the chocolate into dust: large pieces will behave much better in the dough, and the taste will be stronger.

And one more difference: it is better to make these cookies a little thicker so that there are pieces of chocolate inside. Instead of 3-5 mm, try 5-7 mm and bake the cookies a little longer: about 10 minutes.

The beauty is in the glaze

Gingerbread cookies are delicious on their own, but these cutest little people just aren’t the same without the icing. You simply must draw at least the face and buttons, which means you will have to learn how to make glaze. You can prepare it in two main ways:

1. Water. For this glaze you only need 150 grams of powdered sugar and about 2 tbsp. l. liquids: water, juice or milk. Just don't add all the water at once, otherwise the glaze may be too thin. Gradually stir the mixture to your desired thickness.
2. Protein: But here you will have to enlist the help of a mixer, because 150 grams of powdered sugar and about half the white of 1 egg will need to be beaten. If the mass turns out to be too dense, you can add a little more protein and beat the mixture again at maximum speed.

Use confectionery decorations and your imagination to make the little people look appetizing and attractive

For the outline, the glaze should be a little tighter than for the fill, and if you are doing both the outline and the fill on the same person, apply the outline first and be sure to let it dry. After this, you can paint the gingerbread with a thinner glaze inside the outline.

Tip: You can decorate the little people not only with icing, but also with bright candies like M&Ms and other confectionery decorative beads. They stick well to the glaze, so it can be used as glue.

It’s not at all difficult to prepare gingerbread men for the holiday, but you will get so many positive emotions yourself and give them to your loved ones. Stock up on our recipes and try them out as soon as possible: happy faces enjoying the beautiful presentation and unusual taste are guaranteed!
 

Cooking instructions

1 hour 30 minutes + 1 hour Print

1. Add butter, sugar and salt to a bowl. Mix all this with a mixer. Mixer tool It is convenient to beat egg whites, as well as knead other substances like minced meat or dough, not by hand (as this requires effort and time), but using a mixer like a KitchenAid. For example, the Artisan model has ten speed modes and three different attachments for working with any consistency, and it is also a universal food processor.

2. Add honey to the resulting mass and mix. It is better to use liquid, viscous honey, which will greatly simplify your work. Tool Honey dispenser The device holds the honey in the grooves, so that it flows gradually onto a dish or just onto the bread. You can also use it to add honey to various drinks. Metal and silicone ones are much more hygienic than their wooden counterparts.

3. Add the egg and mix again.

4. Let's move on to spices. You can add the spices you like and as much as you want. But don't overdo it. In addition, you can add a spoonful of cocoa so that the cookies are dark in color and the decorations on the cookies will be more visible. Mix it all.

5. Form the dough. Add baking powder and gradually add flour. And we begin to knead the dough. Add the remaining flour. Flour seeder tool Flour must be sifted even if you grind it yourself and guarantee the absence of lumps and pellets. Waking up through the sieve, the flour is loosened, saturated with oxygen, the dough rises better and then has a better texture. You can sift using any fine sieve or, for example, a special OXO seeder, which works on the principle of a meditative rocking chair.

6. Form the dough into a ball. Wrap it in cling film and put it in the refrigerator for about an hour.

7. After an hour, we begin to roll out the chilled dough, first sprinkle the surface on which you will roll the dough with flour. (no thicker than 1 cm)

8. Take the cookie cutters you like and start cutting out.

9. Place baking parchment on a baking sheet and transfer the cookies to the pan.
Tool Baking paper For even baking, it is better to place open pies and quiches in the oven on a wire rack, and to prevent the sauce boiling from the heat from dripping between the rods, baking paper will help. For example, the Finns produce a good one - it is quite dense and is already divided into sheets that are easy to get out of the box. And nothing more is required from paper.

10. Place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Tool Oven thermometer How the oven actually heats up, even if you set a specific temperature, can only be understood with experience. It is better to have a small thermometer on hand that is placed in the oven or simply hung on the grill. And it is better that it shows degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit simultaneously and accurately - like a Swiss watch. A thermometer is important when you need to strictly observe the temperature regime: for example, in the case of baking.

At Christmas, European and American families traditionally bake gingerbread cookies shaped like the famous fairy-tale hero. Each piece is beautifully painted using glaze. This tradition has spread to other countries. Delicious little cookies will delight guests and household members.

How to make a gingerbread man

The process by which you get a gingerbread man is divided into several stages:

1. First you need to prepare the components.
2. The second step, according to the recipes with photos, is kneading the dough. Experts recommend mixing all the ingredients rather than whisking them to make it tasty.
3. Then you need to roll out the dough and cut out little people with shapes.
4. Baking will require a minimum amount of time.
5. The last step is to color the gingerbread products, as in the photo from the recipe.

Gingerbread man - template

To get a small beautiful gingerbread in the shape of a fairy tale character, you will need a special form. The device can be purchased at a culinary store or online. If you can't buy a gingerbread man stencil, try making a template yourself. To do this, use thick cardboard. Draw the silhouette you need on it, cut out the template. Using the stencil is very simple. Place it on the surface of the rolled out dough and trace the outline with the tip of a knife.

How to color a gingerbread man

In the photo, the gingerbread figures look very bright and beautiful. Multi-colored sugar decor gives them an appetizing look. You can apply the thick substance with a pastry bag, medical syringe or brush. Today, to create patterns like coloring a gingerbread man, housewives use different types of glaze obtained from common products:

• egg whites;
• chocolate;
• butter or margarine;
• with added food coloring.

Gingerbread man recipes

The varieties of gingerbread products depend on the dough used. The base can be honey, chocolate, mint essence or ginger. To make the dish tasty, you can add spices to it:

• cardamom;
• cloves;
• nutmeg;
• vanillin;
• citric acid.

Gingerbread man

• Calorie content of the dish: 443 kcal.
• Cuisine: European.

A traditional recipe for the Christmas table in Western countries. However, gingerbread men have become widespread in other cultures. Ginger dough gives baked goods a spicy aroma and taste, reminiscent of our usual gingerbread cookies with this component. Beautiful, original and bright cookies will decorate any holiday table. Children will especially like them.

Ingredients:

• granulated sugar – 100 g;
• chicken eggs – 2 pcs.;
• ground cinnamon – 1 teaspoon;
• butter – 100 g;
• wheat flour – 0.1 kg;
• honey – 100 g;
• lemon juice – 45 ml;
• powdered sugar – 100 g.

Cooking method:

1. Place a piece of butter in a container with sugar. Grind the ingredients with a spoon until the sweet sand dissolves. The mass should turn white and become airy. If mixing by hand is difficult for you, try whisking the ingredients a little at low speed.
2. Add honey to the resulting mixture, then eggs. Combine all ingredients into a homogeneous mass using a whisk. Add cinnamon and ground ginger.
3. The flour should be sifted and added to the mixture gradually.
4. The next step in how to make cookies is kneading the dough. It should have a consistency similar to plasticine.
5. Part of the finished dough should be rolled out on a flat surface. If you want a crispy gingerbread man, shape into a thin layer; if it is soft and fluffy, make it thicker.
6. From the finished cloth, cut out figures according to the prepared template. Place the products on baking paper or a baking tray, which should be pre-greased.
7. Preheat the oven to 150-160 degrees. It will not take long to bake - only 8-10 minutes.
8. The next step on how to make a gingerbread man is to decorate it. This process can be achieved using a simple glaze. Mix powdered sugar with lemon juice. Continue stirring until the mixture resembles the consistency of liquid sour cream.
9. Apply the resulting glaze onto the cookies with a pastry syringe. Wait for the decorations to harden and serve with tea.

Dough for gingerbread men

• Cooking time: 60 minutes.
• Number of servings: 4-6 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 353 kcal.
• Purpose: for the holiday table.
• Cuisine: European.
• Difficulty of preparation: medium.

You can make the famous Christmas or New Year's cookies from different types of dough. You will get original delicious gingerbread cookies if you use mint. To add a fresh aroma, you will need to use an essence, which can be found on pharmacy shelves. If you cannot find such a liquid, use a tincture of mint leaves.

Ingredients:

• water – 0.1 l;
• mint essence – 1.5 tsp;
• granulated sugar – 150 g;
• soda – 1 tsp;
• flour – 350 g;
• vegetable oil – 3 tbsp. l.

Cooking method:

1. Mix flour with soda and sift.
2. Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar. Boil the resulting syrup for a couple of minutes after the sugar has dissolved, then cool it.
3. Add the mint component to the cooled substance.
4. Pour the flour into a heap, add butter. Knead the dough, gradually adding syrup. If it is inelastic, add more oil.
5. Wrap the resulting mass in cling film and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour.
6. Roll out the finished dough. People are cut out like any cookie using a stencil or a special mold.
7. Place the gingerbread cookies on parchment paper.
8. Bake the products in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Icing for gingerbread men

• Cooking time: 20 minutes.
• Number of servings: 4-6 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 315 kcal.
• Purpose: for the holiday table.
• Cuisine: European.
• Difficulty of preparation: easy.

Decorating a dish for Christmas requires colored glaze. A white sweet coating is considered traditional, but you can successfully use, for example, chocolate. The recipe for how to prepare a decorative element is very simple and does not require any special culinary skills from the housewife. This type of painted man has a pleasant aroma and taste.

Ingredients:

• butter – 10 g;
• cocoa powder – 40 g;
• water – 1/3 cup;
• sugar – 150 g.

Cooking method:

1. Grind granulated sugar and cocoa using a coffee grinder.
2. Boil water, pour boiling water over the ground mixture. Combine ingredients until smooth. When finished mixing, add melted butter.
3. The resulting fondant can be used to decorate the dish after 40 minutes.

Video: recipe for gingerbread men

The most delicious and cutest holiday attribute for the New Year and Christmas are, of course, gingerbread and gingerbread cookies in the form of various figures. Particularly popular are gingerbread houses, snowflakes, cookies for decorating the Christmas tree and, of course, gingerbread men, which children love so much.

Making gingerbread men is not that difficult, the main thing is to have time, patience and one or two helpers - with them things will go much faster)))

To prepare gingerbread men, prepare the ingredients according to the list. In this recipe, I used the dough I spied in one program about gingerbread cookies, which is unusual in that both soda and baking powder are used for leavening. This method allows you to make the dough with an exceptionally pleasant texture, since leavening occurs in two directions: first, soda combines with the acids of honey, then at high temperatures the baking powder begins its work.

Mix honey with sugar, spices, salt, oil and soda in a bowl. Gradually melt the mixture over low heat until foam appears on the surface.

Cool the mixture to a temperature of approximately 40 degrees, then mix with flour, egg and baking powder.

Knead with your hands into a soft, tender and elastic dough.

Roll out the dough into a layer about 0.5 cm thick. Using a special mold (or using cardboard blanks), cut out figures of men.

In preheated to 200 degrees. Bake the figures in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size. Carefully transfer to a tray or plate and cool.

While the figures are cooling, prepare the glaze. To do this, prepare the necessary ingredients and tools. I used natural dyes from chlorophyll, curcumin and beets.

Prepare glaze from egg white and powdered sugar, divide it into 4 parts and color with food coloring. Place in bags and secure with something on top, I use ordinary clothespins or office clips - it’s very convenient!

Decorate the cooled figures with colored glaze and let it harden.

Gingerbread men are ready. Happy holidays!