Gingerbread Men

(Adapted from Joy of Cooking)

Blend until creamy:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Beat in 1/2 cup dark molasses

Sift 3 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour. Re-sift, after adding:

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
spices*

Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with 3-4 tablespoons water (depending on desired texture).

Knead dough well and roll between sheets of waxed paper. Cut cookies by hand or using unfloured cutter. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until done. Lay flat to cool. Decorate with colored glaze and/or royal frosting, candies, candied fruit, candied ginger, etc. (This is the fun part :)

*Spices: I never use the same combination or amount of spices, but I choose from among nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ground fennel seed, ground anise seed, ginger, allspice, ground cumin seed, and ground coriander seed.

Cookies are edible, but smell better than they taste unless eaten while still (relatively) moist. They can be preserved forever if sprayed with lacquer or hair spray when they are completely cool.

This same recipe can be used to make gingerbread houses.