A Sweet Life: Gingergread Men!

I can't say I've ever had a gingerbread cookie..much less make them. I'm not a fan of ginger at all, the smell, the sight, the taste of it just makes me shudder.. *well, except of COURSE, eating at Ding Tai Fung, the Chinese dumplings place, you have to eat the dumplings with vinegar and long shreds of gingers..I'm not ever sure why I can eat it raw like that, and in/with nothing else. So weird.

Anyhow, gingerbread cookies appear to be a staple of the holidays so, I thought I'd make them and..eat them for the first time! Wish me luck...the trying to eat it part, not the making part. :)

This recipe is from my Martha Stewart Cookies book.

Ingredients
-5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
-4 teaspoons ground ginger
-4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
-1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
-1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

Directions

Sift together flour, baking soda, and spices into a large bowl. Set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses until combined.

nice and smooth!

Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.

Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic.

Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to just under 1/4-inch thick.

Transfer to prepared baking sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes (I actually skipped this step..I cut my men then just stuck it in the freeze after that to cut back time...the dough did get a bit sticky. I think putting them in the freezer would harden them up a bit to make them easier to cut with the cutter) Cut into gingerbread men (or whatever happy shape you want..just adjust baking time) Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.