Gingerbread Men

This one's mainly for me. In case I forget. :)

A perfect Gingerbread People recipe!
Edible and yummy, but crispy and light enough for hanging on the tree or a garland.

This recipe is altered a bit from Simply Recipes.
Even though a tablespoon of ginger seems like a lot, it isn't terribly spicy, so if you like more zing in your cookie, by all means add a bit more.
I personally don't care for clove much, so I omitted clove - add 1/2 tsp if you like.

Gingerbread Cookies
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3 1/4 cups of flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cups butter - for half of this I used Smart Balance
1 Tb ground ginger
1 Tb ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp clove (I left it out)
1/4 tsp black pepper (it doesn't make it too spicy)
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses (I used mild)

In a large mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients-- flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In the mixer cream butter and brown sugar.
Add in the egg and molasses, beat it all together.

On a low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Divide the dough into thirds, place each on a piece of plastic wrap, and while flattening it a bit, wrap up the dough.

Refrigerate them for at least an hour, over night if you like. I placed them outside over the snow for an hour instead.

Bring in (or out) one of the dough thirds, and let it sit for five minutes or so at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350*.

Unwrap it, and roll it out onto a piece of floured parchment paper or wax paper. (Taping it down is a good idea.)

If the dough is too sticky and soft, toss and blend in a little flour.

Cut out the gingerbread cookies and bake for 8-10 minutes. (Ten is perfect for me.)

If you want to hang them, poke a hole with something small (like a skewer - or pointed end of a paint brush in my case) near the top of the cookie while they're still soft and warm.

This recipe made for me 3 1/2 dozen cookies.


Royal Icing
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2 tsp meringue powder
1 tsp lemon juice
6 tbs water
1 1/2 cups or so of powdered sugar
(You can use whipped egg whites instead of the water and meringue powder. Here is a recipe.)

I used the whisk attachment in my mixer to blend the meringue powder, lemon juice, and water.
Then I started adding powder sugar until it was the right consistency.

Decorate!

I placed a rubber band tightly around the end of the icing bag to help remind children keep the bag twisted closed.




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