Gingerbread Men

Merry Christmas!

I decided to make a small batch of Gingerbread men. I made some mini-cutout gingerbread cookies last week, but I haven't gotten the chance to decorate traditional gingerbread boys. They came out pretty nice, I must say. I experimented with the recipe to reduce the amount of time it needed to chill, and finished off the cookies with royal icing!

Dough:

• 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar (I also added a couple tablespoons of Splenda Baking Blend-I like em sweet!)
• 1/4 Cup Molasses
• 1/2 Stick Butter
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 2/3 Cups Flour (All purpose or half whole wheat)
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Pinch Each of Nutmeg, Cloves, and Allspice
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ginger
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Preheat Oven to 325*

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on the stove with the Sugar, Molasses, and Vanilla also in the mixture. After the butter is completely melted, allow the mixture to cool for ten minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients
3. Beat an egg in a small bowl, then slowly add it, along with the wet mix, into the dough. 
4. Mix the dough until well incorporated, then coat the outsides with flour and place it in plastic wrap in the refrigerator until no longer warm (shouldn't take long-honestly, I got bored and cheated and put it in the freezer and it was ready in about twenty minutes!) 
5. After the dough has chilled, roll out and cut into shapes on a floured surface. Put on a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper covered cookie sheet into the oven. 
6. The cookies will bake at a different rate based on their shape. I prefer my gingerbread cookies a little soft, so I wait until the edges are just turning brown and the middle is still soft. It takes about 10-12 minutes. 

Frosting (Royal Icing)

3 ounces pasteurized egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Beat egg whites and vanilla and beat frothy
2. Add confectioners' sugar gradually and mix on low speed
3. Turn mixer up to high and beat until it forms stiff, glossy peaks (5 to 7 minutes)

Note: If you choose to add food coloring, it might make the frosting runny. You will have to add more sugar if it is liquid food coloring. I prefer gel food colorings as they don't affect the consistency of frosting.