Servings: 22-24 small-medium or 10-12 larger cookies
Calories: 148kcal
Author: Jacq
These cute gingerbread men and figures bake into irresistible thick cookies that are soft on the inside yet firm on the outside, and are deliciously spiced.The gingerbread men are robust enough for kids to have fun decorating.Gingerbread men are history, tradition, festive fun and nostalgia all wrapped up in a tasty biscuit form.
2tablespoonraisinschopped into small pieces [or replace with sultanas/currants/dried cranberries etc]
Instructions
Melt the margarine, sugar and golden syrup together in the saucepan over a very low heat. Stir frequently and don't allow the mix to boil.
200 grams golden syrup, 100 grams dark brown sugar, 160 grams vegan margarine
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon powders, into the mixing bowl.
430 grams plain flour, 1 ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 tablespoon ginger powder, 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
Stir through the salt, and mix everything together.
Pour and scrape the liquid mixture into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
Mix it all together into a cookie dough.
Place the gingerbread dough, along with the mixing bowl, into the refrigerator to chill for about an hour. [This step can be done a day or so in advance but if storing the dough for more than a few hours then cover the mixing bowl or wrap the dough in food wrap.]
Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 C / 356 Fahrenheit / Gas 4.
Cover the baking trays with parchment paper.
If using raisins for decoration, chop these into small pieces.
2 tablespoon raisins
Halve the cookie dough into 2 pieces as it will be easier to roll out. Keep one half in the chilled mixing bowl.Gently knead the dough for about 30 seconds.
On a lightly floured board roll out the dough into about ¼ inch thick. Stamp out shapes with cookie or biscuit cutters.[thinner cookies will be crispier]
Place the shapes onto the baking trays and leave about an inch between each biscuit,
Decorate the biscuits with raisins, such as give the gingerbread figures eyes, noses and little happy smiles. A few raisin buttons are a cute addition. Don't press the raisins into the dough too hard, just place them on gently.
If preparing gingerbread figures of different sizes then bake the larger ones together and the smaller ones together, so that they bake evenly.
Bake small-medium sized cookies [about 3-4 inch long and about 2-3 inch at the widest part of the cookie cutter] for 10 minutes on the middle shelf.
Bake larger gingerbread figures [about 5 ½-6 inch long and about 4 ½ inch wide] for 12 minutes on the middle oven shelf.
For smaller or larger cookies just adjust the cooking times, or bake until the gingerbread has coloured and is firm to the touch. Don't press too hard as the cookies will be soft inside.
If the gingerbread is baked longer it will be more crisp on the outside and if the dough is rolled out thinner they will bake up to a more crisp texture depending on the thinness rolled.
Once baked leave for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to cool on a wire rack.
Optional: Once cool the gingerbread can be decorated with a simple water icing [about 100grams/4 oz of sifted powdered icing sugar mixed with a few teaspoons of water until the consistency is what you like. This icing will set firm. The water icing can be prepared quite thick and then added to a piping bag or simply applied with a small teaspoon, knife or even a flat lolly-pop stick.Vegan food colours can be used to dye the prepared water icing [if your in the UK, these can be found in Lidl].The icing can be used as a tasty glue to stick on small pieces of vegan candy, sweeties or cake sprinkles, etc.Dipping the figures legs into melted chocolate will kit them out with little sweet trousers!
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not an exact calculation as ingredients can vary.
Nutritional analysis does not include the optional raisins or any decoration.
Store gingerbread cookies for up to 4-5 days, possibly a day or so longer if well wrapped.
If storing for a few days the cookies will be fine in a cake or cookie tub/jar/display container.
Wrap in kitchen foil if storing for longer, and keep somewhere cool and dry.
Freeze un-iced gingerbread for 3-4 months, possibly a little longer. Iced gingerbread can also be frozen, but for best results its better to decorate after defrosting.
If golden syrup is difficult to come by, use light molasses. A darker molasses can be used but the gingerbread will taste richer.
For best results and easier rolling of the gingerbread dough, do chill the dough after preparing.