Ginger Bread recipe

Ginger Bread Men

(This makes a lot 30-40 men)

2/3 cup Shortening

2 cups brown sugar

3 cups Molasses

1 1/3 cups cold water

12 cups flour

4 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Allspice

2 tsp. Ginger

2 tsp. Ground cloves

2 tsp. Cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350. Cream shortening and sugar then add in molasses and water. In a separate bowl mix all spices with baking soda and flour. Once well mixed slowly add into shorting mixture. Mix until it becomes dough. Set out wax paper flour it and your rolling pin. Set dough on wax paper and roll it out to desired thickness (most cookie cutters about a quarter of an inch). Remember to keep pin well floured. Using cookie cutter, cut out gingerbread men. Roll extra dough together into a ball and repeat the process of flattening and cutting the gingerbread men out. Then grease desired cookie sheet and place men on them bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes (depending on time you will let them sit before frosting them)

The sooner you are going to eat them the less time you bake them.

My family used a popcorn tin and stacked the men 3 to a layer separating the layers by wax paper. We would bake them the day after thanksgiving and decorating the week prior to Christmas.

~If you don’t want ginger bread men roll into Tablespoon size balls then roll in sugar. Cook for 8 minutes on 350 degrees let cool and enjoy

This recipe has been passed down in my family for at least 4 generations and if you decorate the cookies it is a really fun and affordable gift to give out. We usually decorated them like elves and had two special ones Santa and Mrs. Clause that we gave out to a couple that was special to us that year. Fun family times