Gingies!

Okay, okay, I know it's silly, but it's a family joke to call these cookies "Gingies" - I think when my little brother was, well, little, we put "y" at the end of every word, and we never stopped even though he's 21 years old now!

This recipe has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. In high school, I gave these out with a recipe card to all of my girlfriends. It's the best recipe I've found for making gingerbread that is soft and chewy instead of dry and crispy.

Gingerbread Men

3/4 c butter, softened
3/4 c light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c molasses
3 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp each salt, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon

Cream together butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and molasses and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. With mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients to molasses mixture until dough forms. Shape into 2 thick disks and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on lightly floured board to 1/4" thickness and cut into desired shapes. Decorate with raisins and red hots for buttons, eyes, noses, etc. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. Cool on racks, decorate with icing if desired, and enjoy!

Tips:

Chill disks of dough at least 8 hours or overnight for best results!

Roll dough no thinner than 1/4" thick or your cookies will cook too fast and be dry:

Put your raisins and red-hots on the cookies BEFORE you bake them - they will stay in place better.

Be sure to pull them out of the oven JUST when they begin to brown, or they will be a little crispy and dry instead of nice and moist and chewy!
Decorate with icing after cookies have completely cooled. Get creative - this part has no rules or measurements! Just have fun!