Angelic Gingerbread

If you want to elevate those cute little gingerbread girls and boys to something a little more heavenly for the holidays, try making gingerbread angels. Each cookie is delicious by itself, but when they are put together, you’ve got something special: a delicious cookie, a holiday decoration and a conversation piece.

The recipes for the Gingerbread Cookies and Puff Pastry Angel Wings are from Leslie Bilderback, head of the Pastry Arts Department at the Southern California School of Culinary Arts in South Pasadena.

The puff pastry recipe is time-consuming, but it’s really fairly easy. If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy it frozen. The Royal Icing contains a raw egg white, a potential carrier of food-borne illnesses. Pasteurized and powdered egg whites are available in most supermarkets.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

COOKIES

2 cups (4 sticks) butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

5 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

ROYAL ICING

1 egg white

1 1/2 teaspoons water

2 cups powdered sugar

Food coloring, optional

COOKIES

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and mix well. Add molasses, vanilla and milk and mix.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Add to butter mixture and stir until well incorporated. Chill.

Roll dough 1/4 inch thick, and cut into desired shapes. Place on greased baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees until browned on edges, 6 to 8 minutes.

ROYAL ICING

Combine egg white, water, sugar and food coloring if desired, until well-blended. Put in pastry bag and decorate cookies as desired.

7 dozen 3-inch gingerbread people. Each cookie:

105 calories; 69 mg sodium; 17 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

PALMIER ANGEL WINGS

2 1/3 cups (4 2/3 sticks) butter at room temperature

Juice from 1/4 lemon

1 tablespoon plus pinch salt

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup water

2/3 cup cake flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar or 1/4 cup colored and 1/4 cup granulated

Blend 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons butter, lemon juice and pinch salt with electric mixer. Add 3/4 cup bread flour and mix well. Place on piece of plastic wrap large enough to wrap around 8-inch square. Form butter block into 8-inch square, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Mix water, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, cake flour and remaining 1 3/4 cups bread flour. Put remaining 3 tablespoons butter in center of dough, fold dough over and knead. When butter is incorporated, knead at least 10 more minutes. Form into ball, cover with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.

Cut “X” in top of dough. Pull out corners of “X” and roll out into 12-inch square.

Position refrigerated butter block diagonally on dough, and fold corners of dough over butter block. Press down dough to seal. Turn over and roll out into 17x10-inch rectangle with longer side facing edge of counter.

Brush off excess flour with pastry brush. Fold 1 end toward center. Do same with other end. Fold 1 end over to other end so edges meet. There will be 4 layers. Brush off excess flour.

Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Roll out again to 17x10-inch rectangle with longer side facing edge of counter. Fold dough as before to make 4 layers. Return to lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Repeat 2 more times.

To make angel wings, roll out puff pastry into 18x12-inch rectangle 1/4 inch thick. (There will be dough left over; it can be frozen for up to 3 months.) Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Fold each end toward center in thirds, brushing off excess flour after each fold. When thirds meet in center, sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon sugar and fold each end together. There will be 6 layers.

Freeze dough log 30 minutes to help it hold its shape. Slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and dredge in remaining sugar or 1/4 cup colored sugar. Place 2 to 3 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Spread apart top of cookie slightly to give it wing shape.

Bake angel wings at 375 degrees, turning once, until caramelized and golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

40 cookies. Each cookie:

72 calories; 174 mg sodium; 15 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.01 gram fiber.

GINGERBREAD ANGELS

Royal Icing

Palmier Angel Wings

Gingerbread Cookies

Ribbon

Put 1/4 teaspoon Royal Icing on baked Palmier Angel Wings, and attach baked Gingerbread Cookie people. Decorate with icing as desired. Let dry 30 minutes.

To string gingerbread angels together, use No. 7 pastry bag tip to make holes in top of angels for the ribbon.

40 cookies. Each cookie:

179 calories; 241 mg sodium; 32 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.