Gingerbread Men

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup sweet unsulphured molasses (I use blackstrap)
• cup water
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• tsp. cloves
• tsp. allspice

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, molasses, and cup of water.

2. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, adding just enough of the water to incorporate all the flour and form a dough that holds together well.

3. Turn the dough out of the bowl and form into four equal balls. Wrap each ball well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 350. Line some baking sheets with parchment and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

5. Working with one ball at a time, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Roll the dough about -inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets, placing them about 1 to 2 inches apart.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the surface is firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then decorate with Gingerbread Vegan Icing and sprinkles (optional).