Christmas desserts: Gingerbread cookies with an aromatic and citrus base

One of the classic icons of Christmas desserts are gingerbread cookies in the shape of little men. Although the famous ginger dough has an international origin (it is said that it dates back to the 16th century in Europe), over time it reached America, first to the United States, and then to our latitudes thanks to different local preparations.

One of them is the cafeteria la bonbonnierewhich proposes gingerbread man cookies with a very aromatic and citric touch thanks to a very special ingredient: molasses, instead of sugar, infused with spices and orange.

Ginger cookies

Ingredients:

• 466g flour
• 75g brown sugar
• 2 g Baking Soda
• 6 g ground cinnamon
• 6 g ground ginger
• 5 g ground clove
• 5g salt
• 168 g ambient butter
• 13g milk
• 250g molasses

Preparation:

• For the molasses, cook over high heat until it boils 100g of brown sugar, 166ml of water, a pinch of cloves, allspice and cinnamon. Then lower the heat and cook for another 30 minutes until it thickens.
• In a processor, mix flour + brown sugar + bicarbonate of soda + cinnamon + ginger + cloves + salt for 10 seconds
• Add the butter in tablespoons and process again for 15 more seconds until you see a well mixed and sandy dough.
• Add the milk + molasses and process for 10 more seconds or until you see an evenly moist dough.
• Take out the dough and divide it in 2, to work 1 at a time. Refrigerate for half an hour
• With the rolling pin, knead it between 2 butter papers, leave it ½ cm high
• Leave each layer of kneaded dough like this, between parchment paper, and refrigerate it
• When taking it out of the fridge, the paper is removed to form the figures
• Bake at 160 degrees, 8 to 10 minutes
• When they are very cold, decorate them with Royal Icing, mixing 15gr egg whites, 82gr powdered sugar, 3ml lemon juice and a pinch of cream of tartar. Place in a cover and cutting the corner draw the eyes, hands, feet and buttons