Well, it's STILL raining and I don't think it's going to let up for a couple more days. So, I rolled up my sleeves, got out my apron, and baked some goodies with my mom and sister today. We made our favorites, but also tried something new this year. I've never made gingerbread men before and I thought it would be fun for the kids, so I found a recipe and baked up some really cute ones!
Here's the recipe I adapted from HERE. I only made a couple modifications with the spices, but otherwise it's pretty much the same recipe. Make these this Christmas and have fun decorating them!! I've included a recipe for really easy cookie icing. It comes from King Arthur Flour. The icing comes out very shiny and is perfect for tinting with food coloring.
Oh, I bought this cookie cutter kit from Williams Sonoma last year. It comes with 3 large cookie cutters and words to imprint on the cookies, like "Merry Christmas" or any other greeting you'd like. We've had a lot of fun with it!
Gingerbread Men {makes 3 dozen cookies, or 1 dozen large men}
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup dark molasses
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. allspice
- 3/4 tsp. salt
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, molasses and water with an electric mixer or by hand until smooth. In another large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture, stirring by hand just until you have a soft dough. Divide the dough in half, shape each piece into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to a few days.
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out with cookie cutters and place about one inch apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until set. Bake a few minutes longer if you want crispy cookies. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling scraps to get as many cookies as possible.
Quick and Easy Icing:
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. corn syrup
- 2 Tbsp. milk, or more as needed to get desired consistency
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract {optional}
- food coloring {optional}
Whisk all ingredients in bowl and add more milk if needed.
Here's Tyler, so happy with his "cool guy"
Just a few of the kids creations
Ella and Tyler doing just ONE more cookie!
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