| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 3 hr 15 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | about 24 cookies |
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, molasses and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light in color, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; shape into disks. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough on a floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes with 3-inch cookie cutters; arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the scraps once and cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
- Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are set, about 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and the orange juice in a bowl. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and snip a small corner; pipe onto the cookies. Let set, 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 164 |
| Total Fat | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 31 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 19 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 18 mg |
| Sodium | 106 mg |
Reviews
These are crisp and delicious, both gingersnappy and chocolaty. I gave only 4 stars because the dough is exceedingly sticky and difficult, even after having been thoroughly chilled. I had to flour the board a lot, and the dough still stuck to it. I probably won’t make these again.
So good! Chocolate and spice, and it tastes great together! Made these with kids and adults, enjoyed by all. Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper.
Terrific! Made these Christmas 2019 and they were a big hit. Plenty of chocolate flavor. Even non-gingerbread cookie eaters devoured these. Made the royal icing and left some without icing to keep the sugar calories down. Did cutouts and also many with an electric cookie press and the dough worked well. Will do again for sure! Thanks!
These cookies were terrific. They are really dark because of the cocoa added but the cookies really “popped” when we added the white decorating icing. Great taste. Nice and spicy!
I was scared to make these because there were no reviews, but I saw them in the Food Network magazine and was intrigued. If you are reluctant, here is my official review: THEY ARE AWESOME!!!
As I was preparing the dough, I gave a taste and was like, “ooh…I don’t know…” the spice hit is a lot…until they are baked! Then they are pure chocolatey perfection with a hint of ginger spice behind it.
I can also tell you the recipe doubles nicely as the first time I made them and brought them to work, they were devoured so quickly (even ahead of nutella sandwich cookies and sugar cookies) that I decided to make twice as many! My family also can’t seem to stop eating them.
Note: I did not make the glaze. I piped designs using royal icing (I didn’t fill, just outlined). So I can’t review the glaze, just the cookies themselves.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/cocoa-gingerbread-men.html#communityReviews?oc=linkback