Christmas Gingerbread Men Recipe

When I was a kid my Grandma use to always buy us giant Dutch Gingerbread men and they where very yummie.... God knows what was in them. This Christmas I thought I'd make my own.... much smaller little guys, but turned out delish! This is the recipe I used.

Ingredients
3 cups (420 grams) plain flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup (160 ml) molasses
(you can use golden syrup)

How to:
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Wrap dough in in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours+.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With a spatula lift the cut out cookies onto a oven tray.

*If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies.

Bake for about 10 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You can decorate with raisins, chocolate, nuts or frosting.

Optional Frosting
2 cups (230 grams) icing sugar - sifted
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons milk.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk if too dry. Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.