Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread men are some of my favorite holiday cookies.  They are so fun to decorate and I love the spicy gingerbread cookie!  When I make my gingerbread men, I like to have a little fun with them.  When they are cut out and on the cookie sheet, I manipulate the raw dough men so they look like they are running or dancing.  Sometimes a cookie ends up with a big knick on it.  Instead of balling those up and rerolling them, I cook those as well.  I’m not sure why, but I am a sucker for a stitched up gingerbread man (like the Gingerbread man in Shrek with the broken legs!)  I always think gingerbread men can add some fun to any cookie tray, especially if you make them with a little whimsy!

Gingerbread Men

From Sharon O’Connor’s MusicCooks: Christmas Cookies

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

½ cup molasses

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and molasses until blended

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice and stir until combined.  Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until blended.

On a lightly floured surface, form the dough into a disk.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼-inch thickness.  Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.  Transfer cookies to a baking sheet, placing them 1 inch apart.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until set.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Once cooled, decorate with frosting (below).  Store in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.

Makes about 40 cookies

Powdered Sugar Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp + 1 tsp milk

Pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until smooth.

Transfer icing to a decorating bag (or ziplock) to decorate cookies.

Enjoy!

Amy