Nothing says Christmas like the smell {or taste} of gingerbread. One of my all time favorite things about the holidays are homemade cookies and gingerbread men are the BEST! Especially when they are homemade.
Don't these look absolutely di-vine!
If you happen to have egg or dairy allergies, here is the frosting I used for my little gingerbread boys and girls. It is Betty Crocker's Cookie Icing. Easy to use and perfect for the allergies in my family!
Want to make some of these tasty treats at your house?
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
3 1/2 cups allpurpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/3 cup water
Cream butter and sugar thoroughly with electric mixer. Beat in molasses. Blend all dry ingredients. Alternately add blended dry ingredients and water to the butter-sugar mixture. Dough will become stiff, so that last dry addition may need to be blended by hand. Work dough until it is smooth in consistency. If dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust them with flour.
Roll out dough to approximately 1/4 " thickness on the back of a greased cookie sheet. Punch out gingerbread patterns. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
For dairy-free cookies:
Substitute butter with a dairy free butter or margarine.
For softer cookies:
Personally, I like my gingerbread cookies a little bit on the softer side. If you want yours softer, substitute 1 cup of corn starch in place of one cup of flour. Bake at the usual temperature for the usual amount of time and your cookies will come out nice and soft!
For Gingerbread house pieces:
This recipe is also great for making gingerbread house pieces because once cut, the pieces retain their shape! Simply use a set of house cookie cutters or fashion your own pattern pieces. Follow the baking directions from the recipe.
Enjoy the holiday season!!! Be sure to pin this recipe to share with your friends!
