Gingerbread Men/Ginger Ice Box Cookies by jej

[S_Wirth]

Gingerbread Men/Ginger Ice Box Cookies

Submitted by: jej
Last Updated: 10/12/2008

GINGERBREAD MEN (ICE-BOX COOKIES)
These little men have become my trade mark around here. The recipe was shared by a college friend (in 1955) who is a superb cook. Gosh, that means almost 50 years of making these little guys!! 🙂

I take great pains to 'soften' the little men after they're baked, and then to decorate each one with icing, raisins and English currants. I have them looking up, down, to one side or the other, and their grins are wonderful; they are just full of personality. They are very happy little people to have around, to put out during the holidays, and any time of year. Each one also gets a bow-tie under his chin (the same white icing), and three buttons on his tummy. (It's all explained below.)

Then, after the frosting is dry, each man goes carefully into its own sandwich Baggie, excess air 'pressed' out, the top twisted and turned down, then a twistem is tightened around it. If I am mailing them, or keeping them for a while, I may double-bag them, to help retain their softness and freshness. I hope you will enjoy them.

1 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. molasses
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoon ginger
4-1/2 cups sifted flour

Combine in order given. Sift the dry ingredients together. Then add them to the first four, mixing completely, but don't over-do. I may use the hand mixer for creaming the first two, and then for the egg, but no more.
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For GINGERBREAD MEN:

1. Chill dough several hours or overnight. I prefer a day or two. It is more simple to roll out if the dough is flattened in plastic on a metal 9x12-in cake pan cover; a jumbo Baggie can fit around it, 'tied' with a twistem, keeping it airtight and super-fresh.

2. Prepare for rolling dough. My preference is to make a flour/powdered sugar mix of equal proportions... i.e., 1 cup of each. It is kept in a flat plastic food box large enough for the cutters to dip in with ease; a large metal spatula will also slip into the mix easily (for getting the g-men onto the cookie sheets).

3. Plan to roll the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, with a minimum of the flour/sugar mix dusted on it. This will prevent the dough from becoming 'heavy' with extra flour, but it will have the dusting it requires for rolling and transferring. And you will love that your rolling pin will stay wondrously clean IF you keep your hands washed and clean,!! 🙂

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

5. Use ungreased cookie sheets. I use aluminum sheets, one with a brown coating on it, the other two with none. They bake a little differently, but I allow for that. Someone else may like air-bake sheets... but I have NEVER used them successfully, and put them into the church rummage sale a year or two ago. You know what works for you. Bake a cookie for a 'test run' if need be.

6. Roll a manageable amount of dough at a time. It may be only enough for 3 or 4 men, but that way the rest of the dough stays chilled. Roll it fairly thin -- or however you like. I usually like a slightly generous 1/8-inch thick, especially for the larger gingerbread cutters that are around 5 inches tall. However, if the dough is too thick, the g-men will look sort of 'bulbous' and over-weight, and they won't be as attractive that way. A little practice, and you'll know what you want. There are also cutters in middle-sizes and very small g-men and little women; the dough might be slightly thinner for them. Play it by ear... you'll soon know what you like.

7. My standard cookie sheets take 8 men or ladies comfortably. They are about 1-1/2 inches apart; if they do touch while baking, a knife blade cut between them will gently, but firmly, separate them, almost unnoticeably. Once the g-men are on the cookie sheet, make them active. They can run and/or wave easily. Move a hand up or down slightly, and/or a leg, depending on space available. The arm of the g-man will go up or down depending on the placement of the next man.

8. Another word about placement: They are side-by-side, but 'right-side-up' and 'up-side-down' ALTERNATELY. At least, they work better for me that way, from one end of the pan to another. On the other side of the pan, the same thing -- and it would appear one is standing on the other's head, but there will be the required space between them. If this is confusing, just get them on the UNGREASED COOKIE SHEET HOWEVER YOU WISH. (You know how fussy I am, already. 😉

9. Bake for 7 min. or until done. This is going to vary according to your oven, the cookie sheet, the thickness of the cookies. Pay attention, and make a note as to what works best. It is very important to NOT OVER-BAKE. I prefer to bake them until they have a just baked appearance, or a 'set' look. They might make just the slightest indent with finger. I like them
to become soft; if baked too long, they will be good, but more crisp. (I also have to say I've UNDER-baked them...)

IF ROLLED thicker, allow 8-10 min. or so. Watch!!! Very easy to overbake!!!

10. Cool on Wire Racks.

TO DECORATE THE GINGERBREAD MEN:

1. If the cookies seem a bit too dry, before you frost them, you can put them in an air-tight container with a a slice of bread or an apple. Either is very effective. Keep a waxed paper between the layers of cookies.

2. I like to frost these little men with a simple confectioners' frosting. I have also used a royal icing, with powdered egg white now, of course. Any decorating frosting is fine -- even the commercial tubes would work, if you are in a time pinch, though I've never used them. A decorating tube is my favorite tool. Make the frosting a consistency that is compatible with the decorating tube.

3. Currants are used for the eyes and buttons, or currants for the eyes (they are smaller) and raisins for buttons. I sort them according to size, and sometimes color, so that the sizes of the eyes and buttons are 'matching' respectively. A large white platter or plate is good to put the matchers on. Put the eyes on one side, buttons on the other. Put a little pile in the middle to pick and choose from. I like to sort a lot of pairs so when I begin using them, I don't have to stop and put the decorating tube down.

4. I put two dots of frosting for the eyes. Then take matching currant and place them so that the eyes look in any particular direction, but keep both eyes looking in the same direction. When looking up or down, take care that they do not look like crossed eyes. Some eyes can be wider apart, some closer, etc. Some of them 'roll' their eyes!!

5. Next, make the mouth. I sometimes experiment on waxed paper to see how the frosting is behaving; then the grin can be wide, deep, have little smile lines... Never a frown or straight line. These little men must always have a smile.

6. I try to make the bow tie look sort of like a bow on a package, with the two loops, a little knot, and the two ends. Sometimes the ends hang rather discreetly, but sometimes they 'fly!' Again, it depends on how the frosting is behaving, more than anything.

7. The buttons: Three more dots of frosting, right under the little man's bow tie and down his tummy. I really like fairly large raisins for the buttons, but I've also used the larger currants. I spend time matching them so they look like they belong together. I like to put the top and bottom raisins on their frosting dots first, then the middle raisin, sitting between the 1st and 3rd, can be manipulated so that the finished buttons are fairly evenly and equally positioned. NO, I DON'T spend all day... It very quickly becomes easy to do without seeming too "diddly." 🙂

8. When the frosting is dry, each man is put into his own individual plastic sandwich bag (I've found the Baggie brand fits my g-men the best). I stand the man upright in the bag, fold the excess bag behind him, and then 'press' as much air as possible from the bag (I've thought about using a small pillow to press the air from the bag, but have not yet done it); twist the top, give it a little 'turn down' and twist a 'twistem' around it to make the bag air-tight. I find that the cookie stays fresher and softer if that little "turn-down" is done, though some like the Baggie to 'poof' up. Occasionally a very tall man makes the 'turn-down' difficult. Also, I try not to make the twistem 'tight' to the man's head. It can cause the raisins and currants to fall off, and schmush the frosting!!

9. An effective way of displaying them is to choose a box that isn't too tall, and is rather narrow. Cover it, inside and out. I like to put a ribbon around it(horizontally). Then crinkle foil so that the bottom has some 'texture' and then place the G-men so they are standing up in the box, peeking out. Kleenex boxes are just about the right size and shape, and others similar in size and shape. I've also used Ice Cream pails, though the inside needs a little build-up for the men to see out. The men look out both sides of the box, and also at each end; taller ones need to be behind the shorties, so all can 'see.'

YES!! THEY'RE WORTH IT!

For ICE-BOX COOKIES:

Mold into loaf or rolls; keep overnight in fridge. Slice thinly, bake at 375 degrees F. (approx. 7 min.) or until done. Frost with confectioners' frosting if desired. Or they can be rolled and cut, but the slicing is very quick and easy. They are a nice variation on any cookie tray-- easy to look professional.

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