Gingerbread Men

Aaaaand the holiday baking commences! Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. Other than being a great excuse to bake and consume an excess of goodies, I love the festiveness of it all. Evergreen decorations filled with pine cones and berries, joyous music, the pleasant act of picking out presents you know others will enjoy…

It’s been a few years since I’ve made gingerbread cookies, and I forgot how much I love them. There is something about the spiciness of the ginger mixed with the richness of the molasses that makes gingerbread so unique and comforting. I am a lover of crisp cookies, and rolled these thin to achieve this. The dough can be rolled thicker if a softer cookie is desired.

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 Recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
2 Tbsp. water
2 2/3 cups flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. each ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
icing or frosting

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg and water. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 350° F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with a floured cookie cutter and place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

(Recipe from Taste of Home)