Last weekend Dan and I made gingerbread cookies. Its a recipe that my mom and I used to make when I was little so I wanted to try it. We started a bit too late (8 PM) which meant we didn’t finish baking the last ones until after midnight, but they were very good. We were so tired that we got a bit silly near the end and made some rather odd cookies like a triceretops, Mrs. Pacman, two Blair Witch Men (featured above!), and a Batman. Tyler liked them too!
Gingerbread men
1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 tablespoons vinegar
5 cups all purpose sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
Thoroughly cream shortening with sugar with a hand mixer. Stir in egg, molasses and vinegar; beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; stir into molasses mixture, chill at least 3 hours. The dough will be very dry. Take a handfull and press. Roll and knead in your hands until it warms up and sticks together. On lightly floured surface roll dough to 1/8″ thickness, cut with cookie cutter (only try to do a few cookies at a time). Place 1″ apart on greased cookie sheet. If you wish to decorate them, you can use red cinnamon candies or other baking decorations for faces and buttons. Bake 375F for 5 – 6 minutes. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet and cool on rack.
Optional: When thoroughly cool, trim with confectioners’ icing: to two cups sifted icing sugar, add only enough light cream or milk to make mixture that will go through pastry tube easily but still holds its shape.
See the images in the (still being updated) Christmas 2005 photoblog.
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