Holiday Traditions - The Gingerbread Cookie

Making gingerbread cookies is a tradition in my house. In fact, it's been a holiday EVENT in our house for the last 17 years.

Hubby makes the dough, we invite our closest family friends and we spend the next few hours decorating cookies with the kids. Yes, I have pictures of our kids growing up at my dining room table...17 years of those smiling faces decorating cookies from the early days of simply a pair of chocolate chip eyes, to the years the boys covered the cookies in red hots to simulate gun shot wounds - we've seen it all!

  
And I even have my share of pictures of me covered with flour handprints (courtesy of my hubby!)

This is one holiday tradition that I adore and well, it just wouldn't feel like the Christmas season without the annual gingerbread night at our house.



Here's the recipe we've been using for 17 years...(warning you really need a good mixer - this recipe is thick!)

Gingerbread Men

1 Cup butter

1 Cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 Cup dark molasses

2 Tbs vinegar

5 Cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground Ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

Cream butter, salt & sugar. Add egg, molasses & vinegar. Beat well. Stir in flour, baking soda and spices. When it's well mixed, chill dough for at least 3 hours. Roll out dough to desired thickness on a lightly floured board or pastry mat (we like ours thicker and more doughy!) Cut with the traditional gingerbread man cookie cutter and place on UNgreased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Decorate as desired.
Bake cookies at 375 for approximately 6 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness and your oven)
Let cool for about a minute, then remove to wire rack to continue cooling.

Enjoy!

Does your family have that one cookie you have to make every year?

Safe travels and happy scribbling!