I admit I have never been a fan of gingerbread. Then a co-worker brought a plate of gingerbread cookies to work and they were actually good. She told me she did not like the molasses, commonly used in gingerbread either; so she replaced the molasses with dark Karo syrup. That was nine years ago and I am just getting around to making my first batch of gingerbread men. This is a recipe I used from Simply Recipes. Taking the advice from my friend I swapped the molasses with dark Karo syrup.

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
Optional: raisins, chocolate chips, candy pieces, frosting

Royal Icing:
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in egg and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed. (You may need to work it with your hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.

Heat oven to 350°. Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Use either a cookie cutter or place a stencil over the dough and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips, or candy pieces in the center of each cookie if desired for “buttons”.

Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired. Makes 16 5-inch long cookies.

Royal Icing:
Beat 1 egg white and 1/2 tsp lemon juice together, add 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar mixing until the mixture holds stiff peaks. If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency.

I used meringue powdered egg whites instead of the raw egg white. combine 1 Tbsp egg white powder with 2 Tbsp water. Proceed as you would otherwise. (Raw egg white alternatives from the 2006 Joy of Cooking)

ICING VARIATION:

For a non egg version mix 3 cups powdered sugar with 4-5 tablespoons milk until smooth. Add food coloring to tint.