MY GINGERBREAD MAN

It began last night.  After a long and full week, I wondered what my son and I were going to do all day today.  Another rainy, overcast day.  Me, a baby full belly and little desire to be mobile.  The only solution was to go for a walk to get the mail, rainy day or no rainy day.  Am I ever glad I did go for a walk.  Five minutes into being outside, my mood immediately changed and I found myself marveling at the beauty of nature.  As my son threw rocks into the ocean, I noticed how lovely and magical the perfect circles that formed on the surface of the water were each time a rock went in.  

     When we got back home, I decided to visit the supermarket to load up on some bulk decorating candy so we could make gingerbread houses!  I purposely chose the supermarket over Bulk Barn, because as you know,  Bulk Barn won't allow me to bring in paper bags to package my goods, but Superstore does.  So yay!  Superstore, you get my business!  I am really hoping I succeed in convincing my son that the candy is solely for decorating, and not food meant for human consumption (what? it isn't!).  I'll let you know how it goes.  I have hopefully enlisted the (willing) assistance of my talented husband to construct the gingerbread houses.  He is a builder after all, so I think he will do an excellent job.  It will be fun to make them altogether as a family anyway.  Until then, Faegan and I spent the morning baking gingerbread men, which taste divine warm from the oven.

GINGERBREAD MEN 

(if I had a gingerbread woman cookie cutter I would have made them too)

I multiplied this recipe by four to make enough men and the house.

1/4 cup organic butter, room temperature

1/2 cup organic coconut sugar (or organic brown sugar which can be as simple as 1/2 cup organic sugar mixed with 1 Tbsp organic molasses)

1/2 cup organic molasses

1 organic egg

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups organic unbleached flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp organic ground cloves

1 tsp organic ground cardamom

1 tsp organic ground cinnamon

1 tsp organic ground ginger

1/2 tsp sea salt

Method:  Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  (If your butter is cold, simply beat it in the mixer bowl while you blow a hot hair dryer on it for a few seconds, it will be warm in no time.)  Add the molasses and egg and combine.  

     In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients.  Then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.  Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate dough for at least one hour.  Roll dough out on a floured countertop to desired thickness.  Use cookie cutters to make shapes.  Transfer to greased or parchment lined sheets and bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes.