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DPP Day 20: Gingerbread Man

My first Christmas as a married woman I tried my hand at gingerbread men and have continued to make them every Christmas since. I prefer them plain because they're just that good, but of course there's a lot of fun to be had in decorating gingerbread men (and boys and girls)!

Today we packed up our cookie cutters and went to a friend's house for a rollicking good time baking and decorating gingerbread men. Most of the decorating was done by the kids (who have not yet learned the wisdom of "less is more"), but here's one I made as a sample for the kids to see how to use the supplies.


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Gingerbread Men

Cream together until smooth:
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar

Stir in:
1 cup molasses
2 egg yolks

In a separate bowl, mix together:
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Stir flour mixture into molasses mixture until smooth. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the doughnut to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.

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Bonus photo of the kids' creations.


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