I have searched long and hard for a decent gingerbread men recipe. Turns out, Mom had the recipe all along. These guys are quite good, but they're better when they're crispy (I like them soft).

Ingredients

1/2c brown sugar
3T butter
3/4c dark molasses
1/3c cold water
3c flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp allspice
1tsp ginger
1tsp cloves
1tsp cinnamon

The Preparation

• In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
• Cream the brown sugar and butter. Add the molasses. Mix well. Slowly stir in the water.
• Gradually add the flour mixture to the cream mixture.
• Chill the mixture for 2 hours.
• Cut off 1/4 of the dough. Place the remainder back in the refrigerator so that it doesn't get warm.
• On a well floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes.
• If you are going to decorate them (add eyes, noses, buttons, etc) you will want to decorate them before you bake them. I add mini M&Ms for the eyes, noses and buttons but you can also do raisins for the eyes and red hots for the buttons... or whatever. Of course, if you're going to add frosting, best to wait until they have baked and cooled. :-)
• Place on a slightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 6-10 minutes. Watch carefully. The time varies, depending on how thick and big your men are. :-)

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