Gingerbread men are a popular Christmas cookie, often decorated with sugar, icing, or candies. They have a long history in Europe, with elaborate gingerbread scenes and decorations. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have presented gingerbread likenesses to her courtiers. To make gingerbread men, cream butter, sugar, spices, and molasses, then combine with flour and chill before cutting out and baking.
A gingerbread man is a form of gingerbread cookie, commonly presented at Christmas. The traditional version can be presented plain, dressed up with pieces of sugar or icing, or with candies that form its main features. Gingerbread women are also made, although the gingerbread man is much more common. Many Christmas decorations incorporate these cookies. Conventionally, gingerbread man is made with legs slightly apart and arms outstretched, and many consumers have traditions about the order in which the ends are eaten.
The alleged gingerbread man first appeared at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who presented gingerbread likenesses to courtiers. The queen’s habit of joking with her court gives this story some credence. This gingerbread man example was probably darker and more savory than the version we’re used to, as well as thicker and more cake-like. Elizabeth’s cooks appreciated the opportunities for lavish decorations, and the gingerbread men she distributed may have included gold leaf and other extravagant decorative touches.
The gingerbread man also has a long history in mainland Europe, where it has appeared as a Christmas tree decoration and in elaborate holiday scenes. The gingerbread man often had a gingerbread house to live in, with gingerbread animals, trees, and decorations made with candies and icing. Especially in Germany, gingerbread Christmas decorations are often quite elaborate, stemming from a 16th-century tradition of imaginative gingerbread creations, popularized by Grimm’s fairy tales and the story of Hansel and Gretel. In the 17th century, Nuremberg, Germany became known as the gingerbread capital, thanks to the elaborate gingerbread scenes that that city’s bakers would create, which included intricately decorated gingerbread houses, animals, and people with gold leaf, leaf and other decorations. The Gingerbread Man probably reached its peak during this time when only professional gingerbread bakers were supposed to make gingerbread, except during the Christmas season when the rules were relaxed.
To make the gingerbread men, cream 2/3 cup butter, ½ cup brown sugar, one teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, two teaspoons ground ginger, and a pinch of salt. Add an egg, mix, then add 3/4 cup of the molasses and mix again to thoroughly integrate the ingredients. Sift together three cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of cooking power and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and chill the resulting dough for an hour, before rolling out into a ¼-inch (about ¾ centimeter) thick sheet.
Using a cookie cutter or knife, cut out the gingerbread men and transfer them to a nonstick baking sheet. Bake in a 375° Fahrenheit (190° Celsius) oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
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