Gingerbread boys and girls tend to come out during the holidays.
Gingerbread cookies are a holiday staple. The spicy flavor of the cookies complement both tea and coffee, and are perfect for the cold weather of the Christmas season. Gingerbread girls and boys are rolled out the same way as sugar cookies, giving you freedom to create different shapes for your boys and girls. You can use the cookie cutters as guidelines or make your own cuts using a butter knife.
Instructions
1. Take the egg, butter and shortening out of the refrigerator and place them on the counter. You want these ingredients at room temperature for proper mixing and levening.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper). You can sift the ingredients together by shaking it through a wire sieve, using a sifter or aerating it with a wire whisk or fork.
3. Combine the butter and shortening with a mixer on high speed. Do this until the two items are well mixed, about one minute.
4. Add the brown sugar and mix with the hand mixer until the combination has a light texture and color, approximately two minutes. Add the molasses and egg and beat until thoroughly combined.
5. Stir in the flour mixture gradually using a wooden spoon for best results. The dough will be stiff.
6. Divide the dough in two equal parts and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least three hours so the dough is completely chilled. The dough can be made up to three days in advance.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and remove one section of the dough from the refrigerator. Let the dough stand for about 10 minutes to get it slightly warmer allowing the dough to roll out without cracking.
8. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface, using a rolling pin. Lightly flour the top of the dough, as well, to keep the rolling pin from sticking. The dough should be about 1/8 of an inch thick when completely rolled out.
9. Cut the cookies with cookie cutters or a knife. If you only have "man" cookie cutters, you can use it for the top half of the shape. Press the dough on the legs back together and cut out a skirt shape with the knife. You can also use the knife to cut around the outside of the cookie cutter on the top, remove the cookie cutter and cut the triangle of the skirt to make the girl.
10. Place the cookie shapes on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Put the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are crisp.
11. Remove the sheets from the oven and let stand for two minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Continue cutting and baking the rest of the cookies.
