What’s Christmas without some Gingerbread men wrecking havoc and having some fun in one’s home?
If you, like me, don’t like spending money on candy and yet can’t resist the charm and charisma of these little goof-guys, welcome them into your home this Christmas by baking them yourself,
then relish the joy of giving them away as gifts!
But before we begin, let me share my version of how the Gingerbread Man came to be!
Once upon a time, there was a Cookie named Mr. Bread.
Mr. Bread was a fine gentleman.
And Ginger was a fine lady.
Each dreamt of true love, but had never met the other.
One day, at a Cookies’ Party, their eyes met.
It was love at first sight!
Mr. Bread asked Ginger for a date.
On that evening of the date, Mr. Bread did not show up.
A bottle marmalade had toppled over the road, resulting in a massive jam.
Ginger was very, very upset.
Mr. Bread felt terrible.
He was heartbroken.
But a good Cookie never gives up without a fight!
Mr. Bread was genuine about his apology.
Ginger was very moved and forgave him immediately.
Mr. Bread and Ginger got married,
lived in a sweet candy house and…
… that’s how little Gingerbread boys and girls were made!
Now, not only are Gingerbread men fun to make,
they’re absolutely a delight to decorate and give away as cheeky Christmas bites.
This recipe uses half the sugar that other recipes would otherwise recommend, and, like the apple crumble,
will cause your entire home to smell just like caramelized Christmas!
So here’s sharing the recipe- and don’t forget to keep an eye on them so they don’t get away!
Food for love:
– Three cups of plain flour
– One teaspoon of cinnamon and one teaspoon of nutmeg
– Two teaspoons of ground ginger
– One teaspoon of baking soda
– 3/4 stick of butter (softened at room temperature)
– Half a cup of brown or raw sugar
– Half a cup of molasses
– One teaspoon of vanilla
– One egg
For the decorations:
– Icing sugar
– A lemon
– One egg white
– Food coloring
– Colorful candy- If you have kids, let them go crazy with their imagination!
The Act:
1. In a bowl, sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and baking soda together.
2. In a big mixing bowl, mix the softened butter with brown sugar.
Most recipes will require you to use an electric mixer at low speed and beat till the mixture is light and fluffy. I don’t have any of that fancy equipment so I used a plain ol’ metal spoon and biceps strength to mix it till it turned lighter.
3. Add in the molasses, vanilla and egg. Whisk them together.
Watch the mixture turn into a beautiful golden brown. The molasses make it smell heavenly.
4. Slowly combine the flour mixture bit by bit till it is well combined.
You’ll notice it’s sticky and kind of hard to fashion and mould at this point- that’s okay.
5. Because we’ll be refrigerating it!
Using cling wrap, wrap a third of the sticky gooey dough and pat it into a flat disc.
Do the same for the remaining and let them sit in the fridge overnight or at least four hours.
(Four hours worked great for me. )
6. Now the fun bit! Pat them into a quarter-inch thick sheets and cut them out!
(I had no rolling pin so I just patted the dough out with my fingers and palms, heh.)
Arrange them neatly on a baking sheet.
I like to arrange each gingerbread child in between two gingerbread adults so they don’t get scared or try to run away!
7. And after ten minutes, they should be fragrant and ready!
Mmmhhmmm…..
8. While your little people are cooling off from their sun-tan, start making the icing sugar. It’s really easy!
Just mix in some egg white and a few teaspoons of lemon juice until you get a gooey consistency, like wet glue.
9. I’ve never been a fan of artificial coloring but a few drops will add a whole lot of festivity!
Love the Christmas colours!
10. If you’ve never done piping before, DON”T FEAR.
I didn’t even know what these things were called until I discovered them this time!
All you need is to buy cheap disposable piping bags and the Number 1 or Number 2 fine metal nozzles.
Make a little snip at the end of the piping bag and slip the metal nozzle inside until it fits snugly inside.
Fill it up with some icing and you’re ready to squeeze!
It helps if you have some candy lying around too!
Make a happy colorful family,
Or, if you’re planning a formal cocktail event,
you can dress them up in neckties, bowties and fancy dresses!
And if it’s cold where you are this Christmas, then deck them out in something warm!
During the afternoon, two of the gingerbread men tried to run away and got injured while doing so.
Keep an eye on them!
If you have too many of them wrecking havoc in your home,
turn some of them upside-down (literally) and transform them into reindeer!
Have great fun making Gingerbread men and giving them away!
Share the joy this Christmas!