Gingerbread Boys and Girls
By Paula Deen
JUMP TO RECIPE
Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 30
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3 3/4 cups plus more for dusting work surface all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 stick softened (or margarine) butter
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- as desired food coloring
Directions
Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.
Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll onto a floured board until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters. You can reroll the scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies from the board to the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
To make the icing, combine the confectioner’s sugar and milk. Divide the mixture into thirds; leave one-third white, and color one-third green and the final third red. Decorate piping eyes, mouths, buttons, and bow ties. Makes between 18-24 cookies.
