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Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men

SUBMITTED BY: STEPH67 PHOTO BY: Allrecipes

"Spicy gingerbread men. This is the only recipe we have ever used. For best flavor, do NOT use blackstrap molasses."

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PREP TIME	20 Min
COOK TIME	10 Min
READY IN	30 Min
Original recipe yield 2 1/2 dozen

SERVINGS

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Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.

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REVIEWS

Reviewed on Dec. 11, 2005 by DARLINGDASH

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.

DARLINGDASH
Dec. 11, 2005

I have tweaked this recipe, after a few attempts, to perfection (for my tastes). First of all, I think the variances in dough texture people are having is in the way they measure their flour. I am one of those bakers that measures flour by spooning it into the measuring cup lightly and using a knife to level off. The first time I made these(exactly as the recipe states) the dough was like mush. I ended up working in an extra cup of flour with my hands. I rolled in between two pieces of parchment because of the toughness extra flour always adds to cut-outs. The cookies were tasty but to floury with a cardboard texture. I finally ended up using 1 and 1/2 cups flour. I substituted 3/4 c brown sugar for the white sugar, because I thought they needed to be sweeter as well, and I thought the brown sugar would help to keep them moist. I used a 3 inch gingerbread cutter and cooked for 7 minutes. Delicious, soft and chewy. The spices are perfect, it is a spicy cookie just as the recipe says. I used white chocolate to pipe on the features, buttons, bowties, and scarfs. Not only are they adorable, they are out-of-this-world tasting. I will try to upload a picture later today. Thanks Eileen, at last, a gingerbread man I can actually eat!!!

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210 users found this review helpful

I have tweaked this recipe, after a few attempts, to perfection (for my tastes). First of... MORE

Reviewed on Jan. 7, 2008 by Baricat

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.

Baricat
Jan. 7, 2008

This recipe barely misses a 5 star rating for one reason only. The cookies are not "spicy" as the title promises. They have a pleasant, mildly spiced flavor, but this recipe lacks the "bite" usually associated with genuinely spicy gingerbread. For those, however, who have palates that appreciate milder spices, this recipe is perfect. The dough was very easy to work with, when thoroughly chilled. I made it before going to bed, then rolled them out the next morning, taking only what could be rolled and cut at one time out of the fridge. The dough is, like any recipe made with a large quantity of any syrupy substance (i.e. molasses, corn syrup, honey,) sticky if not adequately chilled. Sticky dough is impossible to work with. The temptation is to add more flour to the dough, but resist it! More flour toughens your product. In fact, when rolling, it is always advisable to use a pastry cloth on your board and pastry sock on your rolling pin. This enables you to incorporate the least amount of flour possible, yet still work easily with the dough. Another good quality is that these don't puff up and lose their shape when baked. In fact, there is little rise to the cookies, so that what you see when on the sheet before baking is just about what you get. They're good keepers. They were still soft a week after baking (kept in an airtight tin.) Excellent recipe, but some tinkering with the spices could improve it.

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106 users found this review helpful

This recipe barely misses a 5 star rating for one reason only. The cookies are not "spicy" as... MORE

Reviewed on Sep. 26, 2006 by sweetiebird

Just okay. I agree that too much cloves leaves an aftertaste. Dough is sticky --I'd add... MORE

Reviewed on Jul. 24, 2005 by SUGARPLUMSCOOKIES

Made these in our cookie shop this past week and everyone who tried then loved them,... MORE

Reviewed on Dec. 23, 2003 by LISAKP71

These turned out really well, and my kids loved cutting them out and decorating them. ... MORE

Reviewed on Dec. 20, 2003 by Spongebob7

I was looking for a classic, soft, delicious gingerbread cookie recipe, and I found it! This... MORE

Reviewed on Nov. 27, 2005 by KatGrrrl

Delicious! The recipe was perfect- no extra flour needed and no tampering with the spices. ... MORE

Reviewed on Dec. 8, 2004 by JOYCE

My kids, husband, and I, had as much fun baking and making these as we did eating them, and... MORE

Reviewed on Dec. 15, 2003 by AIMEEWOZ

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