I got a request from a co-worker friend, Mike and his wife, Liz, for a gingerbread man cookie recipe.  I love requests and I love baking these cookies.  They smell soooooo good!  

Couple of notes –  I can’t decorate, so I made these into  sandwich cookies with a buttercream filling.   I added 3 tbs of water to the cookie dough to make it easier to work with.  You can leave it out if you want. And you can make these as gingerbread men..

Or reindeer, by turning the cookie cutter upside down (magic!!!)

Ingredients – 1/2 cup butter (softened to room temperature), 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 2/3 cup molasses, 3 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount)1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp baking soda,2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves,  3 tbs water.

Directions -preheat oven to 350.   cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and molasses.  Slowly blend in dry ingredients.  Add water, if you are using it. (This may take a few minutes of mixing to get it all to come together) . Sprinkle flour on a  table or countertop .  Roll dough out 1/4 inch thick.  

Cut with cookie cutters.  On a cookie sheet that has been lined with nonstick baking liners, stagger cookies.  

Bake 8-10 minutes.  Cool completely.  Decorate as desired.  

If you are making sandwich cookies.  The buttercream ingredients are -1/4 cup butter (softened) 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tbs milk, 1 tsp vanilla.

Blend together. 

And use for filling

Store cookies  in covered container.