Advent Day 16: Gingerbread

So it turns out that the story of the Gingerbread Man actually has a great Biblical lesson behind it - or so claims Joel Murethi in his blog on "We Are God's Gingerbread Man."  Definitely worth a read!

GINGERBREAD MEN

(From Glutenfreeonashoestring.com)

INGREDIENTS

For Gluten Free

• 1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)

For Regular:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons (84 g) unsulphured molasses
• 1 tablespoon (21 g) honey
• 1 egg (60 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Royal Icing, for decorating (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
2. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, (or regular flour) baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar and whisk again to combine, working out any lumps. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, molasses, honey, egg and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be thick and sticky.
3. Transfer the dough to a large sheet of unbleached parchment paper, cover with another sheet of parchment and roll into a rectangle about 3/8-inch thick (more than 1/4-inch, less than 1/2-inch). If you are concerned that the dough will be difficult to handle, place it in the refrigerator or freezer after you roll it out to allow it to firm up. Pull back the top sheet of parchment paper, dip a gingerbread man cutter in all purpose gluten free flour or cornstarch, and use it to cut out shapes from the cookie dough. With each cut, jiggle the cutter back and forth to create a neat shape. Place the dough on a flat, portable surface like a cutting board and place in the freezer until firm (about 10 minutes).
4. Once the dough has chilled, peel back the rest of the dough from around the cut-outs and gather the scraps. Then carefully peel off the cut-out shapes and place them, about 1 1/2-inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat the process with the remaining dough until you have used it all.
5. Place the cut-outs on the baking sheets in the refrigerator or freezer until firm (about 20 minutes in the refrigerator, or just 5 minutes in the freezer). This will help them keep their shape during baking. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until just set, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheets. Decorate the completely cooled cookies with royal icing, if desired. Allow the icing to set for 24 hours before stacking the cookies.