What texture should a gingerbread man cookie be?
Hello. I'm baking for this bake sale. Making gingerbread men this evening. I'm using the old Joy of Cooking recipe, which I've used before with no complaints. But I'm not a gingerbread cookie person really (nor gingersnap). So I need some real expert advice.
I took a risk and made this recipe with Gold Medal BetterForBread. [That's what I have a lot of right now, it was on sale and I needed a bunch of bread flour for the bread for the construction workers.] I also made it without cinnamon (my son is allergic). We use allspice instead.
What should I be looking for in texture? They are definitely rising more than normal. And look chewy. When I cooled them on a rack (still on parchment), then pulled one away from the parchment, it left a little behind. Maybe I should return them to the oven. The power went off during baking the first sheet (aack) and I was totally guessing based on touch when to pull them out.
Before I bake the rest of these batches, I would appreciate some advice.
I guess it's not that critical for a bake sale, but I would hate a gingerbread man lover to really hate them and feel disappointed.
I've decided to decorate them with almond bark, btw. It's hardy and I have a lot of white on hand from the kids coating pretzels for the sale.
Thanks in advance!
Soose
HolidayBaker
Dec 08, 2006 02:17AM
I think it depends on what you want. I prefer a crisp gingerbread cookie but Sur La Table is offering a gingerbread man muffin silicone mold. Those could be really inviting.
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I just took the second sheet out of the oven. They rose a lot more and in comparison I now realize that the first batch must have fallen due to the power outtage. I've put them back in the oven in hopes they'll crisp up somehow.
The newer ones are way thicker than I'm used to. I'm afraid they are all going to be bready due to the flour. If I did not say so, though, they sure were easy to work with rolling and cutting out!
Maybe I should do something like biscotti with these bready gingerbread men? But I don't have a lot of time to devote to them. The two recipes I made so far as a test batch are making about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen 4" gingerbread men. I need to make them sellable!
Soose
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I melted some almond bark and decorated one of these. Chilled it to harden the "icing". It sure does look good. But I have to say the taste is rather nondescript. The bread flour I guess made them rise too much. They are quite thick and hard to get thinner when I roll them. I'm thinking of icing the whole cookie and then decorating. Maybe some flavored icing? I don't have a lot of flavorings here, vanilla and almond, rum. Any ideas? I don't think the dark chocolate would go! Brown sugar?
I was trying to keep the spices out that my son is allergic to, and have done it successfully with just allspice and cloves before. But this time, I've erred on the side of too bland.
Before, we've used pecans with this dough from the Joy of Cooking and made a thumbprint cookie, and the nut made it quite good.
Thanks for any ideas. I'll set them aside and await inspiration while I move on to something else.
Soose
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Gingerbread men can be either somewhat thick and chewy or thin and crispy-it's a personal preference. I definitely would not use bread flour for the ones that other people are going to eat, though, and I'd add the cinnamon back in, too (they are for a bake sale, not your son, right? Can't you make him some other kind of cookie?)
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Thanks, Christy. A pity but I don't even use cinnamon at all, can't get it in the air around him.
I'm going to try to rescue these two batches. I can always sell them real cheaply. I could put a glaze or icing on them tomorrow before decorating. They aren't that bad. But I'll know not to use bread flour again. I put some brown sugar on a couple remaining I hadn't baked. They did end up crisping up some - that first "power outtage" batch finished cooking pretty well, too.
I keep thinking, an apple-cinnamon glaze? How can I get the apple flavor in there? From apple juice?
Lemon glaze (my husband grew up with lemon sauce on gingerbread)?
A cinnamon and brown sugar sort of toffee layer on the bottom to make them crunchy? Then with the white icing decor on top as traditional. If those Toffee Grahams (aka Chocolate Caramel Graham Crackers) can be made with stale graham crackers or saltines to turn into a great candy, who knows where this might lead?...
Soose
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I haven't made so many recipes that I can definitively say this one is the best, but I do like it (it's from Bon Appetit). You might consider making a cookie that doesn't have cinnamon at all, though-I think the absence will be really noticable. The citrus sugar cookies that are in this are fantastic, by the way, if you want some other rolled and cut Christmas cookie:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/rec...
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You know, I think this Joy of Cooking recipe has always had this "bready" texture to it, it just wasn't as noticeable since I made them thinner and they rose less.
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Sanity returned after sleep -- I don't want to serve these to others. If I can find the time today, amongst the spritz cookies and mini loaves and rolled cookies and... I'll bake some more gingerbread men. I can keep these for my son over the holidays, he likes them. But I'll also experiment with them to see what might rescue them. Now, I need a GOOD gingerbread man recipe.
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A friend gave me the idea of making edible ornaments out of these gingerbread men. That's a winner.
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p.s. The gingerbread that was too bready and nondescript made a very cute ornament. Decorated with white almond bark and little decorator balls on the eyes and buttons (my friend said add color for increased sales). They remind me a little of Big Bird on Sesame, with those blue and green eyes, and some purple, lol. Fun if subtle. I was going to put a holiday ribbon on the waist or as a scarf but I can't find them so the little sprinkle balls were sitting there... I put a tiny stiff red electrical wire threaded through the head sideways for a hanger. Will see what my husband thinks of that idea in the morning. The cookies are quite thick, 1/2" at the neck many of them so there is enough support for the wires I think. (And I have a huge supply of this.)
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http://www.101cookbooks.com/
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What a neat idea, gingerbread men on sticks! (My friend in the bakery said anything on a stick sells. They are selling cheesecake slices made to be Cmas trees on a stick. I said can you hold it and she said no but it doesn't matter, they buy it anyway...)
I will have to try this recipe. My own are anything but as described. But they are cute with their little beady eyes and buttons! I think I'll dip their hair in colored balls this morning. :)
Thanks!
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