This year it’s trees, yes gingerbread trees. I’m sorry about the endless bokeh background but I can’t stop, I’m having too much fun with Christmas lights.

 

I thought seriously about using the cow but her hoofs always get stuck in the cookie dough.

 

Maybe the bear

 

Then I found the tree in the bottom of the bag that was perfect. 

 

For my lights all I did here was drape them over a rack next to where I was working.

 

 

 

I roll the dough out in sugar and ginger powder so that each time I reroll the dough it just get better instead of more like cardboard with each re-roll. That makes them stick to the cookie sheets so don’t be like me and forget to grease the cookie sheets until you have to chisel a bunch of cookies off the cookie sheet.

 

I just realized it’d’ve been perfect if I’d rolled them in green granulated sugar. But I didn’t have any and it’s just as well because I know there’s nothing good about artificial food color.

 

I am not a professional froster by any stretch of the imagination. I’m not really sure what a frosting bag or a pastry tip is! This here is a sandwich bad with a hole poked in the end. I was happy enough with the results.

 

By the end I had so many trees it looked like a Christmas tree farm!

 

 

Gingerbread Men

ingredients
•    3 cups  whole wheat pastry flour
•    1/4 teaspoons salt
•    3/4 teaspoon baking soda
•    2 teaspoons ground ginger
•    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•    1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•    1/2 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature
•    1/2 cup granulated sugar
•    1 large egg
•    2/3 cup molasses

 

Frosting

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp cream of tarter

In a bowl  beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt  beat until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. grease two cookie sheets and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly sugar and ginger powdered surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies.  I
Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes.  They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. 
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely then frost if you feel like it.

 

 

I made gingerbread men


well gingerbread bears actually.


I got so busy decorating them that I made black bears with the first batch. All of a sudden it smelled like burn! So I ran to the oven and there they were Black bottomed Bears.

Very disappointing,

I heard that Little J, 2 years old had decapitated ALL of the gingerbread men that his mother had spent the whole day making and decorating with the intention of giving for gifts.
I think it would be better to have unburnt topless gingerbread men than black bottomed gingerbread bears.
I scraped the black off their bottoms with a knife and I got out some leftover maple frosting from another project . My decorating skills didn’t go so well maybe it was because I was using a fork.


I just smeared it all over them. Now they were more like White or light brown bears. They still tasted a little like burn.

They were eaten.

Overheard: “Look, a paraplegic Bear, he doesn’t have any arms or legs”
“Paraplegic? Where’s his head? Isn’t he dead?”
“His head’s right here, I just bit off his ears so now he has a pointy head”



Here's the recipe worked off of
Gingerbread Men:

• 3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses

beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. add the flour, baking soda, spices and salt .
Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight or put in the freezer for 20 min or so.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C)
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet.
Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm. Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies. You can also use the icing as a glue to attach candies, raisins, and sprinkles.