Gingerbread Kids

(170)
6055_113010_gingerbread_people.jpg
Yield:
20 dressed cookies

Well-wrapped dough can be refrigerated up to three days. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar

  • 1 large egg

  • ½ cup unsulfured molasses

  • 2 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger

  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • Sanding sugar and miniature candies, for decorating

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg; mix well. Beat in molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add flour a cup at a time, mixing until incorporated.

  2. Divide dough into quarters; shape into disks, and wrap into plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.

  3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in top and bottom third. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out a dough disk to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies, rolling out any scraps and additional disks as needed until you have about 20 kids. Transferto parchment-paper-lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between cookies. With remaining dough, cut out additional kids to make clothes, jewelry, and hair as desired. Dress cookies, and refrigerate 20 minutes.

  4. Bake cookies, two sheets at a time, 7 minutes; rotate pans top to bottom and front to back, and continue baking until cookies are firm when touched, about 6 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. Decorate cookies as desired.

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