Gingerbread Men

As Christmas gets closer, everyone is getting their oven mitts on to make the best cookies for the year! And these gingerbread men were a huge hit with the whole family. Obviously the kids went crazy over these, but my husband really enjoyed them too. He loved the flavour of the ginger and deep flavour of the molasses. Truth be told, my husband ate most of them! And I am so happy about that! Gingerbread cookies are not your ordinary sugar cookies. They have such a unique flavour. Perfect with tea on a cold evening! 

The best part about making these gingerbread cookies, is that while I was decorating them, I gave a tray of them to my younger one and he decorated them with me. His gingerbread men had t-shirts, pants, ties and glasses. Clearly he gets his artistic talent from me! :D 

Preparation Time 4 hours 

Cook Time 20 minutes 

Chill Time 3 hours/ up to 3 days

Yields 24 x 4 inch cookies 

Ingredients 

3 1/2 cups/ 440 grams flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder 

10 tablespoons/ 142 grams butter- softened 

3/4 cup/ 150 grams brown sugar 

50 grams black strap molasses 

1 egg- room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Instructions 

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger powder in a large bowl. Set it aside. 

2. Beat the butter, brown sugar and molasses on a high speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg and vanilla. Mix it in. 

3. Add the dry ingredients and mix it in on a low speed until just mixed in. Divide the dough in 2 batches and wrap them in cling film. 

4. Chill the dough for at least 3 hours to around 3 days. 

5. Preheat the oven to 170c. Line 2 baking sheets to 170c. 

6. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut shapes in the dough.

7. Place the cookies on the prepared sheets 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies at 170c for 9-10 minutes, a minute longer for bigger cookies. Make sure you rotate the pan halfway through baking. Cool the cookies completely before moving them off the baking sheets to avoid breakage.

8. Use my recipe for Royal Icing to decorate your cookies

9.