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Holiday Gingerbread Bunnies
Posted by karen at January 19, 2008 9:58 AM 
Categories: Dessert, recipes, Family, Cookies, Christmas
Categories: Dessert, recipes, Family, Cookies, Christmas
I know what you're thinking... why the heck would I be interested in a holiday gingerbread cookie recipe after the holidays? Well maybe you shouldn't be so closed-minded about your gingerbread-eating agenda. I mean, if you like them in December, why can't you like them in January?
And why would I make them in a bunny shape? That makes no sense. Yes. You might notice that even though we made these for Christmas, my mom could only find Easter cookie cutters in Santa Rosa, because all of her Xmas cookie cutters were in San Francisco. So we made Christmas gingerbread... bunnies!
The main negative of using the bunnies is that their long ears kept breaking off when certain extremely enthusiastic and sugared-up kids tried to decorate them. But perhaps that was a combination of fragile ears and, um, how shall I say, overzealous decorating techniques. Another negative is that everyone was like "why did you make BUNNIES when it's CHRIIIIISTMAAAAAAS?" - right up until I shoved a delicious little icing-whiskered leporid into their mouths to shut them up. But the positive of using the bunnies is that no one else does it so you can retain your individuality and sense of childlike wonder. Also, I think more fun to decorate than the men. My point is that you don't have to be a slave to the aberrant excesses of the cookie-cutter industry, regardless of what holiday it technically is. Just heed the sage advice (of the tiny animatronic Tim Gunn who lives in your brain, perhaps?) and make it work!
The decorating was a group effort including people of age 3, 5, 9, 31, 35, 39, 62, and so forth. Try to guess who made which one! The answers might surprise you- that 9-year-old is surprisingly good with an icing bag.
This was a recipe from an old Gourmet magazine, but I changed it liberally, mostly to add more spices. It's fun to make because when you add the baking soda a thrilling chemical reaction occurs and brings to mind high school science fair volcanoes. It's also fun because the dough is really glossy and pliant and unsticky and easy to roll out- so it could be a good project to do with kids. Unlike other cookie doughs this one gets kneaded, so you can roll and re-roll a fair number of times without worry of working it into toughness.
Holiday Gingerbread Bunnies
Ingredients:
Method:
To decorate:
And why would I make them in a bunny shape? That makes no sense. Yes. You might notice that even though we made these for Christmas, my mom could only find Easter cookie cutters in Santa Rosa, because all of her Xmas cookie cutters were in San Francisco. So we made Christmas gingerbread... bunnies!
The main negative of using the bunnies is that their long ears kept breaking off when certain extremely enthusiastic and sugared-up kids tried to decorate them. But perhaps that was a combination of fragile ears and, um, how shall I say, overzealous decorating techniques. Another negative is that everyone was like "why did you make BUNNIES when it's CHRIIIIISTMAAAAAAS?" - right up until I shoved a delicious little icing-whiskered leporid into their mouths to shut them up. But the positive of using the bunnies is that no one else does it so you can retain your individuality and sense of childlike wonder. Also, I think more fun to decorate than the men. My point is that you don't have to be a slave to the aberrant excesses of the cookie-cutter industry, regardless of what holiday it technically is. Just heed the sage advice (of the tiny animatronic Tim Gunn who lives in your brain, perhaps?) and make it work!
The decorating was a group effort including people of age 3, 5, 9, 31, 35, 39, 62, and so forth. Try to guess who made which one! The answers might surprise you- that 9-year-old is surprisingly good with an icing bag.
This was a recipe from an old Gourmet magazine, but I changed it liberally, mostly to add more spices. It's fun to make because when you add the baking soda a thrilling chemical reaction occurs and brings to mind high school science fair volcanoes. It's also fun because the dough is really glossy and pliant and unsticky and easy to roll out- so it could be a good project to do with kids. Unlike other cookie doughs this one gets kneaded, so you can roll and re-roll a fair number of times without worry of working it into toughness.
Holiday Gingerbread Bunnies
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup molasses (not robust)
- 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
- about 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- red hots (if desired)
Method:
- Bring molasses, brown sugar, and spices to a boil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Once it boils, remove from heat.
- Stir in baking soda (mixture will foam up), then stir in butter 3 pieces at a time, letting each addition melt before adding next, until all butter is melted.
- Add egg and stir until combined, then stir in 3 3/4 cups flour and salt.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting with as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as needed to prevent sticking, until soft and easy to handle, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Halve dough, then wrap each half in plastic wrap and leave out until dough is at room temperature (about 30 minutes.)
- Preheat oven to 325. Spray baking sheets with nonstick spray or put down a piece of parchment.
- Roll out one dough packet about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out as many cookies as possible with cutters and carefully transfer to baking sheets, arranging them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake cookies until edges are slightly darker, 10 to 12 minutes total (watch carefully toward end of baking; cookies can burn easily). Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
- Continue rerolling scraps until you have made as many cookies as possible.
To decorate:
- When cookies are cool, make icing by whisking egg white in a bowl. Add powdered sugar and whisk in, about 1/2 cup at a time, until icing is squirtable but thick. If you get it too thick just add a tiny bit of water to thin. If it's not thick enough it will be too runny to make discernible designs.
- Put a little bit of icing in a ziploc bag, seal tightly, and cut a teeny hole in the corner. It won't seem like very much but the icing is just for decorating not covering the cookies.
- Decorate with icing. Embellish with red hots for maximum spiciness, if desired.
my favorite plus to winter ginger bunnies -- retaining your sense of childlike wonder.
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plus, you are absolutely right that gingerbread should be enjoyed more broadly by all. ¡que viva la jengibre!
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