Scary Gingerbread Men

This week I would like to introduce to you Cacao Chocolate. Cacao Chocolate is a very rich form of dark chocolate. It's taste is very pure as it is plentiful of Cacao which is the plant that chocolate comes from. This type of chocolate is usually found in the expensive chocolate section within Target. A bar usually ranges from 5 dollars or more. The reason it is so expensive is because it is very rich in antioxidants that can be very beneficial to your body. Luckily, we would only need two bars of this dark chocolate for our recipe.

Ginger man Ginger man Please Don't Get Me

Ingredients

Gingerbread:

• 16 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
• 1 bar of Cacao Chocolate
  
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 1/4 cups cake flour
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Gingerbread House Templates, recipe follows

Royal Icing:

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more as needed
• 1/2 bar of cacao chocolate
  
• 2 egg whites*

Directions

First you must place the bar of cacao chocolate in a pan and melt it. As it is melting, n a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until it is smooth. Add the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time until incorporated. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix. Then add in the melted cacao chocolate.

Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt. Working in batches, and mixing after each addition just until combined, add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar/chocolate mixture. Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2 cookie sheets.

On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half and roll each piece out into a large 1/4-inch thick sheet. Transfer the dough sheets to the sheet pans; then cut out the gingerbread shapes with any cutting material or your own design as you please.

Bake until stiff and toast-y, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Make the Royal Icing: In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the confectioners' sugar and egg whites together. Add more sugar, if necessary, to reach a spreadable consistency. Then add in half a bar of melted cacao chocolate, this will give it the dark color that it needs. Decorate the gingerbread men accordingly to the scary Halloween season.

By John Nguyen