Best Gingerbread Angels Recipes

FAVORITE OLD FASHIONED GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

ANGEL GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• 1. Sift flour. Measure. Sift again with soda, spices and salt.
• 2. Cream shortening until soft. Beat in sugar and molasses with rotary egg beater until well blended. Add egg. Beat well. Add flour. Mix well.
• 3. Add boiling water. Stir until well blended. Bake in greased waxed paper lined 8-inch square pan in moderate oven (350) for 30 minutes or until done. Makes 12 squares.
• 4. "This is even more heavenly with whipped cream."

GINGER ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt onto a sheet of parchment paper. Sift again, then set aside.
• Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, then increase the speed to medium high and continue beating until stiff, shiny peaks form, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla, lime zest and ginger and beat a few seconds to combine.
• Sprinkle one-quarter of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and gently fold with a rubber spatula. Fold in the remaining flour mixture in 3 additions. Transfer the batter to an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake until the cake feels springy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Invert the pan onto a funnel or the neck of a bottle and cool completely. Loosen the edges with a small knife, tap the sides of the pan against the counter and unmold.
• Make the sauce: Puree 2 half pints raspberries in a blender with 2 tablespoons water, the granulated sugar, lime zest and lime juice. Strain to remove the seeds. Top the cake with confectioners' sugar, the sauce and the remaining raspberries.
• SERVES: 8 (Dessert); Calories: 325; Total Fat 0.5 grams; Saturated Fat: 0 grams; Protein: 7 grams; Total carbohydrates: 75 grams; Sugar: 57 grams Fiber: 3 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 150 milligrams

GINGERBREAD MEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla;mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to5 days.

THE BEST GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves in a large bowl.
• Mix the butter, shortening, brown sugar and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the egg. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and pat to 1/2-inch thick. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to 1/4-inch thick, dusting with flour if needed. Cut into 3- to 5-inch cookies with a gingerbread man cutter or desired shape. Brush off the excess flour and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
• Bake the cookies in batches until they are golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
• For the royal icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar with the meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in 6 tablespoons of water until well combined and you have stiff glossy peaks, adding 1 tablespoon more water at a time to reach a smooth pipeable consistency. Mix in food coloring as desired. Fill pastry bags fitted with tips. Decorate the gingerbread cookies with the icing.

GINGERBREAD ANGELS

Steps:

• Whisk flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, soda, and salt in large bowl. Place crystallized ginger in mini processor; add 1 tablespoon flour mixture and blend until ginger is very finely chopped. Using electric mixer, beat butter in another large bowl until smooth. Add 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in molasses, orange juice, and orange peel (batter may look curdled). Beat in crystallized ginger mixture. Blend in remaining flour-spice mixture. Gather dough together. Flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 4 hours.
• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Divide dough into 4 portions; shape each into round. Chill 3 rounds. Roll out remaining dough round on floured work surface to generous 1/8-inch thickness. Using floured angel-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Gather dough scraps and reroll to generous 1/8-inch thickness; cut out more cookies. Using spatula, transfer cookies to sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush cookies with glaze, then sprinkle with raw sugar and/or colored sugar, if desired.
• Bake cookies until golden, reversing sheets after 7 minutes, about 14 minutes total. Let stand 2 minutes; transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough, cooling baking sheets between batches. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container.