Chocolate Gingerbread Men Recipe

As requested:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted (preferably natural cocoa powder)

1 tablespoon ground ginger (not more than 2 months from purchase)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2/3 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg, room temperature

3/4 cup unsulphured molasses

 

1 Position racks in the top & bottom thirds of the oven, then preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2 With shortening (not on ingredient list) to grease several large baking sheets, then set aside.

3 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder & cloves until spices & coca are evenly distributed, then set aside.

4 In a 2nd large bowl, & using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream shortening & brown sugar until smooth & airy, about 1 minute.

5 Beat in egg & then the molasses.

6 Turn off mixer & add prepared flour mixture, then AT VERY LOW SPEED beat just until crumbly bits of dough form, but not until the mass begins to cohere into a ball.

7 With flour lightly dust a clean, dry work surface as well as your hands.

8 Turn dough out & knead just until it forms a smooth mass, about 30 seconds.

9 Divide into thirds & cover them with a clean kitchen towel.

10 With flour lightly dust the work surface again & roll one of the thirds to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Flour the dough & a rolling pin only as necessary.

11 Use a large gingerbread-man cookie cutter to cut the dough into the desired shapes, then use a metal spatula to transfer them carefully to the prepared baking sheet(s). Gather any scraps, lightly dust again with flour & roll out a 2nd time, creating additional gingerbread men.

12 Decorate the cookies with the raisins & red hots, using one for the eyes & the other for the mouths. Additional red hots can be used as buttons on their coats.

13 Bake for 4 minutes, then rotate sheets top to bottom & front to back.

14 Bake another 4 minutes, or until cookies feel dry but still are a little soft.

15 Remove from oven & cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

16 Cool the baking sheets for 5 more minutes, then regrease them before baking additional batches, as necessary, OR work with 2 additional baking sheets, preparing them while the others are in the oven.

For royal icing with meringue powder: beat 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbs meringue powder, 1 tsp vanilla and 6-8 tbs water on medium high for 7-10 minutes until soft peaks form. Add food coloring and thin with water if necessary. If using pasteurized egg whites, sub 3 oz. egg whites for powder and water. Beat whites and vanilla until frothy before adding sugar, then beat 7-10 minutes.