Dessert: Chocolate Gingerbread Snow Angels

Recipe by Woman's Day Kitchen A little rich cocoa is an indulgent addition to traditional holiday gingerbread.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health and fertility benefits of Chocolate Gingerbread Snow Angels

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Royal Icing
Gel paste food colors
white sanding sugar
confectioners' sugar
Snow angel cookie templates

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
Shape the dough into four 1-inch-thick disks and roll each between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm.
Using the templates as a guide, cut the cookie dough and refrigerate until firm (chilled dough helps transfer the cookies to baking sheets). Reroll, chill, and cut the scraps. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
Place the cookies on the prepared sheets. Bake, rotating the position of the pans halfway through, until the cookies are set, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cookies are cooling, make the royal icing. Separate into bowls and tint different colors. Transfer 1/3 of each color to separate pastry bags fitted with fine tips. Use a few drops of water to thin the icing remaining in the bowls for flooding and place in separate resealable plastic bags; snip off the corners.
Using the thicker icing, outline clothes on each cookie, then fill using the thinner flooding icing. Let dry between colors (for a sparkly finish, sprinkle with sanding sugar while the icing is wet).
If desired, dust a platter with a thick layer of confectioners' sugar. Place decorated cookies on the sugar, pressing down and twisting to make angel shapes in the "snow."

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