Gingerbread Men
Hind sight is a wonderful thing to have and I’m loaded with that. I had every intention of sharing this with you a month ago but. . . .
For several years I made gingerbread men for children in our extended family and beyond. Each man was in a little plastic bag and fastened to a holder made of something like burlap. The holder hung on the wall and there was a man to have for each day between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. When the removal began the child started at the bottom of the holder removing and eating one man per day. On Christmas Eve there was a large gingerbread man (which hung at the top) with the child’s name on it to eat that.
I’m sorry I don’t have pictures, however, I’m past the age to do all this. When you make gingerbread men for several children, that’s a lot of baking to do. I was never smart enjoy to decorate mine and I had to call in backup to help with that, but the children looked forward to receiving new men to go on their holder each Thanksgiving. Well, I gave out doing all that and I gave the recipe to the mothers. You guessed it — they’ve never been made since I quit. Oh well, we made some memories for a while anyway. I’m sharing the recipe I used, but you can use your own recipe for the icing if you choose. I have a friend who bakes for others and she still makes these men for adults — of course, she’s been making them since these people were children.
Gingerbread Men
1 cup margarine 1 cup sugar 1 egg
1 cup molasses 2 tbsps.vinegar 5 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Cream shortening with sugar. Add egg, molasses and vinegar. Beat well. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into molasses mixture. Chill for a few hours. Roll out dough on floured surface. Roll out to 1/8″ thickness and cut with floured gingerbread man cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven ’til slightly brown around the edges. Remove to rack and cool. Decorate as you choose.
Icing
2 cups powdered sugar and enough light cream or milk to make a mixture that will go through decorator tube easily.