Gingerbread Boy Cookies

Submitted by Tinkerbell

"I've been making this recipe for at least 20 years now. I never noted where the recipe came from, but it would have been a magazine or one of my mother or grandmother's old cookbooks. I'm guessing on how many "normal" sized gingerbread men this will make, as I've only ever had a gigantic 9 or 10 inch tall cutter. Generally, I'll make a batch and then put one giant gingerbread boy on each cookie platter I'll be delivering to friends or family. :) The prep time includes refrigerating the dough before rolling out. Update: I've added a bit more spice than the original recipe, thanks to Diana's review. I posted the recipe for her to try and I appreciate her feedback on it. I also used whole cloves, allspice and nutmeg that I ground myself with a mortar and pestle or grated on a zester (nutmeg). I think the fresh ground flavors really made a nice touch."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 12mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: dozen

ingredients

• 8 -9 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons allspice
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated preferred)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon clove
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1⁄4 cups light molasses
• 3 eggs
• 1 -2 cup raisins (optional for decorating)
• 1 recipe royal icing (or buttercream, optional for decorating)

directions

1. In medium bowl, sift together 3 cups of the flour, the baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter. Add the molasses and eggs, stirring until incorporated.
3. Add the sifted flour and spices. Stir well.
4. Add the rest of the flour (unsifted is fine), a cup at a time, until the dough is firm, but not dry. (You may not need all of the flour, you may need a little more.).
5. Divide dough into quarters, roll into a ball & pat into a thick disc shape. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate until easy to handle (about 30 minutes to an hour) or until you're ready to roll it out.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Grease 2 or more cookie sheets (I use parchment paper instead of greasing) and set aside.
8. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc at a time to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with gingerbread boy cookie cutter, getting as many cut as possible. Transfer cookies to prepared cookie sheets, gently press raisins in for eyes and buttons, if desired.
9. Re-roll any scraps to get as many cookies as you can.
10. Repeat with the remaining dough.
11. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12-13 minutes.
12. Allow cookies to cool on sheet, 2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
13. Decorate boys (or girls) with colored royal or buttercream icing, if desired.

Reviews

[Susie P.]

i made a full recipe but was disappointed first because the dough was kind of dry and when we baked them they were like bricks! I ran about 1/4 cup shy on molasses so I used some dark corn syrup-maybe that changed the structure of the dough but I wouldn't think it would!?<br/><br/>also, I'm used to eating gingerbread boys just as they are with a cup o tea and enjoy the usual sweetness and a mouthful of flavor from the spices that gingerbread is known for -so if you enjoy full gingerbread flavor and a nicely sweet cookie without frosting then this is not the recipe for you!<br/>I wish I would have experimented with 1/3 the recipe until I was sure that it was the one for me because it makes a LOT of dough! :-(

 

[Diana 2]

Excellent recipe, on so many levels. This is extremely easy to work with, and reduced like a charm. I cut the recipe down to 1/4, as I was only after a small batch. It made two 9" gingerbread boys, and if I were more frugal with the scraps, could probably have managed a third. As it was, I just rolled out the 'hunk' of remaining dough and baked it for nibbling or wolfing down....whichever is your preference. :) The spice level is lower then most, so this would please even those that don't generally care for gingerbread. For our tastes, next time I will increase the amounts as we prefer it a little stronger. A big plus in my mind is the sweetness. This has a perfect level. After all, most are iced, so why would you need all that extra sugar in the dough. The dough baked up to a soft, puffy cookie that says 'comfort' through and through. Thanks so much Tink for sharing your private recipe. I'm so glad to have tired it, and will certainly be using it again.