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Chewy Gingerbread People with Chocolate Stout Pants

Servings 12 large, or 24 small

Ingredients
  

For the cookies:

  • 3 ¼ cups 390g all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ cup 250g dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup 172g unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup 180g molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 2 tablespoons stout beer

For the Chocolate Pants:

  • 10 oz bittersweet chocolate
  • ¼ cup stout beer

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
  • Add the softened butter, molasses and beer, stir on low speed until combined.
  • Transfer to a long sheet of plastic wrap, form into a flat disk, wrap tightly.
  • Refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 2 days.
  • Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until just under ½ inch in thickness.
  • Cut out gingerbread people, add to 2 baking sheets that have been covered with parchment paper.
  • Freeze for 20 minutes (this will help prevent spreading).
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, pull the parchment paper off the sheets and onto a flat surface. Allow to cool.
  • In the top of a double boiler set over lightly simmering water, add the chocolate and beer. Stir constantly until most of the chocolate has been melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until all the chocolate has melted.
  • Using a spatula or butter knife, spread chocolate onto the cookies. Decorate as desired.
  • Allow to cool until chocolate has set before serving.

Notes

Blackstrap molasses is what happens when you boil cane juice three times, removing nearly all the sugar resulting in a black, bitter sludge. Dark, light or unsulphured are all fairly interchangeable and pleasantly sweet. Make sure never to use Blackstrap when a recipe calls for molasses unless it’s specifically called for.