Gingerbread brownies

INGREDIENTS

Gingerbread cookie dough

½ cup unsalted butter softened

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar packed

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 large egg room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ cup molasses unsulphured and not blackstrap

2 teaspoons ginger ground

1 teaspoon cinnamon ground

¼ teaspoon nutmeg ground

 ¼ teaspoon cloves ground

¼ teaspoon cardamom ground

 2 cups all purpose flour 240g

 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Fudgy brownie batter

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 large eggs room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar packed

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¾ cup all purpose flour 90g

¼ cup cocoa powder dutch processed

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream cold

METHOD

Gingerbread cookie dough

In a large bowl or standmixer, combine softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Beat well to combine until light, creamy, and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl well.

Add the egg into the butter and sugar mixture, beat well to combine. Add vanilla extract, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom (optional). Mix well.

Sift flour and baking soda right into the same bowl. Mix together to form a sticky dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure an even mixture.

Transfer about half a cup of cookie dough onto parchment paper. Cover it with another piece of parchment paper and roll it out to about ¼” thick. Pop it into the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.

Line an 8″ or 9″ square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving long handles on the sides. This will allow you to lift the brownies out when they’re ready. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).

Remove the frozen disc of cookie dough from the freezer. Use a mini gingerbread cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread shapes. Set the cut out gingerbread cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet in the fridge. Add the cookie scraps into the rest of the cookie dough.

Brownie batter

Combine butter and chocolate in a saucepan or microwave safe bowl. Heat on very low heat on the stove top stirring constantly to melt. Let cool until only slightly warm- you don’t want it to cook the eggs.

In a separate large bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla. Whisk well- you can do this by hand with a wire whisk.

Top with cut out gingerbread men and bake for 32-37 minutes-until the edges are set and the middle is puffed and a little jiggly.

Let cool completely. Whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of cold whipping cream to form a thick paste. If it doesn’t come together add another tablespoon of cold whipping cream. Then whisk it until it’s really thick, about 10 seconds by hand.

Transfer it into a piping bag or zipper bag with the end cut off and pipe borders and buttons on the gingerbread man.

Cut the gingerbread brownies into 9 or 16 squares and enjoy! For extra dean cuts, freeze the brownies and clean the knife before each cut.

Recipe credit: Flouring Kitchen