GINGERSNAP COOKIES

 After Christmas I was blessed with these Gingerbread Men cookies from Friend Fran that her daughter Brooke made and shared with her. I fell in love with the delicious, darling little men. I thought Brooke had bought them but then when Fran made a special trip back to my house because she had forgotten them at her house, I thought, "I can't believe Fran would have gone to all that trouble unless Brooke had made them." I still have a hard time imagining making about 10 dozen of these little guys. Brooke said you could make them thicker, but I think the super thin ones are just precious.

I should definitely add that they taste just as good as they look!

GINGERSNAP COOKIES

8       ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1-1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2    teaspoon vanilla

2       small eggs or 1-1/2 large eggs

1/3    cup molasses

3       cups flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2    teaspoon salt

2-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4    teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/4    teaspoon cayenne pepper

Beat butter until soft; add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat again until fluffy. Add molasses and beat until well-mixed.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, 1/3 at a time, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix only until the dry ingredients become incorporated.

Chill dough in the refrigerator about two hours and work with a small amount of dough at a time, keeping the bowl in the refrigerator.. Roll out dough thinly (1/8 ") on lightly floured surface. Cut using a gingerbread man cookie cutter. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake on a cookie sheet 5 - 7 minutes, depending on how thinly you have sliced the dough. Brooke says you have to watch closely so they don't burn.

Allow to cool a minute before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Brooke probably made 10 dozen of little gingerbread men. This is the spring cookie cutter she used.