Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Men

Yield: Makes 3 dozen medium gingerbread men

Ingredients

• 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  teaspoons  ground ginger
• 1  tablespoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cloves
• 1  cup  (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1  cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1  large egg, at room temperature
• 1  cup  unsulfured molasses
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

Preparation

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium until smooth. Add the molasses and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture 1 cup at a time, blending until smooth. The dough should gather into a semifirm mass. (If it's not firm, add another ¼ to ½ cup flour, but not enough to make it crumbly.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Flatten into disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Preheat oven to 350° F. On a floured surface, roll each disk to 1/8 inch thick. Use gingerbread-man cutters to make shapes. Transfer them to a large, parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Decorate, if desired. Bake until firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly before transferring to a rack

Nutritional Information

Calories:

164 (29% from fat)

Fat:

5g (sat 3g)

Protein:

2mg

Carbohydrate:

27g

Fiber:

1g

Cholesterol:

19mg

Iron:

2mg

Sodium:

92mg

Calcium:

32mg