Gramma Joan’s Gingerbread Men

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 11 ¼ ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 ½ cups)
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup golden cane syrup (such as Lyle’s Golden Syrup)
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 large egg

For the icing:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons 2% milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Add the cane syrup, molasses, and egg, and beat for 1 minute, until well combined.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating on low speed for 1 minute, until just combined.
6. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
7. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion to 1/8-inch thickness and cut with 5-inch cookie cutters to make 26 cookies. Reroll scraps as needed.
8. Place cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 18 minutes, or until lightly browned.
9. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. For the icing, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Spoon the icing into a small zip-top plastic bag and snip off a tiny corner. Pipe icing onto the cooled cookies as desired.

Attribution: ​​My mom makes these cookies every year with my two sons and lets the boys decorate them, which leads to some…interesting creative choices.

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