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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Gingerbread people spice up the holidays


Gingerbread people are always welcome this time of the year. Associated Press
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
The Spokesman-Review

‘You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!” Remember the story of this defiant little cookie who ran away from the people who cared about him? He got eaten by a fox in the end. A tad scary for toddlers, perhaps, but for preschoolers, it’s something to think about. Why not read the story, and then bake the cookies?

Even if you choose to skip the literary side of gingerbread, making gingerbread people is still a great way to spend a cold afternoon at home during the holiday season. Cookies are fairly childproof baked goods. Unlike cakes and muffins, cookies aren’t ruined by overmixing, the dough can be handled with bare hands, and using cookie cutters to make real cookies makes all those hours of practice with play dough pay off.

The grownups can help the children mix and make the cookies, and to mix up the frosting. But try to let the children do their own cookie decorating. They’ll be so proud of their creations. Don’t forget to get out the camera and get a snapshot of the whole platterful before it gets eaten.

If you’d rather not mess with frosting, the children can simply press currants, Red Hots, or small pieces of dried fruit into the cookies while they are still warm from the oven to create faces on the gingerbread people; buy a small tube of decorating frosting from the store to add shirt and pants cuffs and a row of tiny buttons.

Gingerbread People

3 cups all purpose 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 unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup unsulphured molasses

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture until it is well mixed.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a person-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies (or use your favorite holiday cookie cutters instead). With a spatula, lift the cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch apart.

Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Confectioners Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons milk or light cream

Assorted food colors (if desired)

In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Add a little more milk if too dry. Divide frosting into three or four bowls and tint with food colors.

Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip (or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off) and decorate the cookies as desired.

Store cookies in an airtight container.