Gingerdead Men for a Happy Halloween!

For Halloween this year, why not bake these lovely little fellows. These cookies are a cinch to prepare and they smell wonderful while baking. Kids will love rolling out the dough, using a fun cookie cutter and icing to decorate these spooky yet cute Gingerdead Men for Halloween.

Gingerdead Men

(Yield: 16-18 cookies)

Ingredients for the gingerbread cookies

• 380 grams (3 cups) all purpose (plain) wheat flour
• 150 grams (3/4 cup) light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp  ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsps pure vanilla sugar or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 170 grams (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 205 grams (3/4 cup) molasses (I used sugar beet syrup from a regional producer called „Grafschafter“)
• 2 tbsps milk (3.5%)

For the icing

• some confectioners' sugar
• a few tbsps milk or half and half
• a few drops of pure vanilla extract (optional)

Preparation

1. In a food processor, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, baking soda, and vanilla until combined
2. Add butter and mix.
3. With food processor running, add molasses and milk and mix until dough is evenly moistened.
4. Divide dough in half and roll each half out to 0.6 cm (¼ inch) thickness between two sheets of parchment paper.
5. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight) or until the dough is firm.
6. Once dough has been chilled, preheat your oven to 175 ° Celsius (350° Fahrenheit).
7. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Remove parchment paper from dough, stamp and cut out cookies using the Gingerdead Men cookie cutter or any other gingerbread men cookie cutter you have on hand. NOTE: while it is easier to cut when the dough is cool, you will get a better impression when the dough has softened slightly. To stamp cookies, dip both sides of the cutter into flour and tap off any excess. Using the stamp side, press it evenly into the dough until it is flush with the dough. Flip over the cutter, center it over the impression and press it down to cut out the shape. If the dough sticks to the cutter, just give it a couple taps.
9. Place cut-outs on prepared baking sheet, leaving 2.5 cm (1 inch) of space in between cookies.
10. Bake for about 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown
11. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack to completely cool.
12. Gather scraps; repeat rolling, cutting, and baking with remaining dough until used up
13. While cookies are cooling, add confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and milk to a bowl and whisk until you have a piping consistency.
14. Then use a piping bag and tip to flood the icing into the "bone areas"
15. Allow icing to harden, then store cookies in an airtight container.

Happy Baking and Happy Halloween!