Makes 16 small gingerbread men
For me, gingerbread is the taste of Christmas. But not everyone is a fan of gingerbread like me. That’s okay though, because I’m more than happy to eat their share! That said, I think everyone should be able to have their gingerbread man and eat it, and more to the point, love it, at Christmas, and that’s why the chocolate gingerbread man was born. These babies have just enough cocoa to give a smooth chocolatey taste with just enough spice to taste a tad festive. I like my gingerbread men (like my real men) soft on the inside, but if you like your gingerbread with a bit of crunch, bake those bad boys just a little bit more. I’m way too busy in the kitchen to use royal icing but if you want to, you can find my favourite icing recipe here. Oh and high five to my lovely sister-in-law, Kari, she with the steady hand for aceing the icing!
Ingredients
FOR THE GINGERBREAD
350g plain flour
2 heaped tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100g brown sugar
130g butter
130g golden syrup
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk (save the egg white if you want to make your own icing)
FOR THE DECORATIONS
Mini M&Ms
Writing icing pens
How to – Thermomix
1. Place all the gingerbread ingredients into TM bowl and mix for 12 seconds on speed 6.
2. Set the dial to the closed lid position and knead for 50 seconds on interval speed.
3. Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured silicone mat and knead into a smooth ball. Place in a covered ball, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 180C / 160C fan-forced. Line 3 or 4 baking trays with baking paper.
5. Roll the dough between two pieces of baking paper. It needs to be about 4mm thick.
6. Remove the top layer of paper and cut out the shapes, dipping the cutter into some flour each time.
7. Place onto baking trays about 3cm apart and bake for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on trays for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
8. Decorate when cooled. Using a steady hand and some writing icing, draw on the face and use the writing icing as glue for the man’s M&M buttons!
How to – Traditional
1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Beat in syrup and egg yolk.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, spices and bicarb together. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.
3. Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured silicone mat and knead into a smooth ball. Place in a covered ball, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 180C / 160C fan-forced. Line 3 or 4 baking trays with baking paper.
5. Roll the dough between two pieces of baking paper. It needs to be about 4mm thick.
6. Remove the top layer of paper and cut out the shapes, dipping the cutter into some flour each time.
7. Place onto baking traysabout 3cm apart and bake for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on trays for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
8.
Decorate when cooled. Using a steady hand and some writing icing, draw on the face and use the writing icing as glue for the man’s M&M buttons!
