Gingerbread People

For a whimsical presentation, arrange these cookies in a lunch box lined with colorful packing paper. Use a variety of cookie cutter sizes to create "families." If you don't want to cut the dough into shapes, roll it into two logs, cover, chill, and slice into 1/8-inch rounds. Refrigerate the dough up to three days, or freeze up to one month.

Yield: About 5 dozen cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients

• Cookies:
• 2 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces)
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cloves
• 3/4  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/4  cup  butter, softened
• 1/2  cup  molasses
• 1  large egg
• 
  Decorations:
• 1 1/4  cups  powdered sugar
• 2  tablespoons  2% milk
• 1/4  cup  colored sugar sprinkles

Preparation

To prepare cookies, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through cloves) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth and well blended. Add molasses and egg; beat until well blended. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture until well blended. Divide dough in half; shape each dough portion into a flat disk. Wrap dough portions separately in plastic wrap; chill 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove 1 dough portion from refrigerator; remove plastic wrap. Roll dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut with a 3-inch boy or girl cookie cutter. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Repeat procedure with remaining dough portion. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

To prepare decorations, combine powdered sugar and milk, stirring until smooth. Spoon mixture into a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Pipe onto cookies. Decorate as desired with sugar sprinkles.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

56 (14% from fat)

Fat:

0.9g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.2g,poly 0.1g)

Protein:

0.6g

Carbohydrate:

11.5g

Fiber:

0.2g

Cholesterol:

6mg

Iron:

0.4mg

Sodium:

27mg

Calcium:

10mg