Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Men

Ingredients

• 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour

• 1 ½ tbs ground ginger

• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground cloves

• ¼ tsp nutmeg

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ¾ cup unsalted butter

• ¾ cup light brown sugar tightly packed

• ½ cup molasses (unsulphured)

• 1 large egg

  Royal icing

• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar

• 1 ½ tbs meringue powder

• ¼ cup water plus 1 tbs water

• 2 ½ tsp vanilla

• If adding food coloring, add white coloring to your base icing

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and baking soda. Set aside while you make your wet ingredients.

2. In a stand mixer (electric will work as well) Combine butter, brown sugar and molasses until well combined and fluffy. This can take 2-3 minutes.

   Add in egg and mix until well combined.

3. Slowly add in dry ingredients into wet a little at a time and allow to mix. At the last add, make sure you stop when fully combined. You want to make sure not to over mix the dough to allow them to be as soft and chewy as possible. Divide dough into two, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

4. Cut into whatever shape you choose and bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.

5. While they are baking, combine your icing ingredients and mix together. This is a stickier royal icing. Add icing into a piping bag and decorate away!

   Yields 24 cookies.