Gingerbread Cookies

When I was growing up, it was tradition to bake gingerbread cookies every year around the holidays.  The first recipe I used was from my mom's big Joy of Cooking cookbook, back in the late '70s.  I used that recipe for a long time, until I moved out on my own and started trying other recipes and tinkering with the ingredients.

This is my current recipe, one that I've been using for several years now.  It has more spice and a little less sugar than most recipes, because I like the spices and I don't like things too sweet.  And of course it uses whole wheat flour instead of white.  Bake on the 9-10 minute end for soft, chewy cookies, and a minute or so longer for building structures such as gingerbread trains or houses.

Last year I baked a huge batch of gingerbread men and women.  This year, with Munchkin being 2.5 years old and wanting to be more involved in the kitchen, I decided to build a train with her.  I've never done a train before (only houses) and don't have a pattern, so I winged it free-hand.  Not too shabby, if I say so myself.  Munchkin had a blast and was tickled to see a train materialize in front of her, made of gingerbread and candy at that.  (She's currently obsessed with Thomas the Train.)  I think this will have to be an annual tradition now.  :-)

Gingerbread Cookies
makes 3 dozen men (or 1 train plus leftovers)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1.5 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons orange zest
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• confectioner's sugar (for icing)
• milk (for icing)

Directions:

• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and blend well.  Add the orange zest and molasses and keep blending until fully incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing in one cup at a time.
• Divide dough into two or three equal balls/logs and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, work dough until pliable (it will still be a little crumbly) and roll out to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter.  Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.
• Let cool completely on a cookie rack before icing.

 Icing:

• For gingerbread men:  Place a couple cups of confectioner's sugar in a mixing bowl.  Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach piping consistency (like honey).  Fill a piping bag and pipe details using a #3 tip.
• For building structures:  Place 2 pounds of confectioner's sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Add 1/2 cup milk and beat on medium-high with a hand blender.  Add additional milk as necessary to create a thick paste, kind of like a thick toothpaste.  Fill a piping bag and use a #7 or larger tip.
• Cover bowl with any unused icing with a damp cloth or paper towel.

Here's last year's batch: