Gingerbread Man Cookies

My friends laughed at me when I told them I didn't know people ate gingerbread cookies. I seriously thought they were just for decoration. These were great, so I am glad I was wrong.  Charlie's a big fan too! I got this particular recipe from Simply Recipes online.

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup usulfured molasses

Royal Icing:

1 egg white

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:

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

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter.  Add sugar and beat until fluffy.  Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed.  Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least an hour or overnight.  Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.

3.  Heat over to 350 degrees.  Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper.  Using a rolling pin, roll dough to 1/8 inch thick.  Use a cookie cutter or stencil to create desired shapes.

4.  Transfer to ungreased baking sheets.  Bake until crisp, not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Let sit for a few minutes ad then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the royal icing beat the egg white and lemon juice together, adding the powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks.  Have fun decorating.