Success At Last

They may be a little dusty because the dough was a bit softer than I expected, but otherwise, I am pleased with how they turned out :o)

I got late my mother-in-law's recipe from one of her daughters and I cut it in half *just in case* it wasn't what I wanted.

I made it up in the evening and let it sit in the fridge overnight and by the next afternoon, it was the easiest dough to work with, once I kneaded in more flour, that is :o)

GINGERBREAD MEN

• 1 c. margarine [softened 1st]
  
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. molasses
• 4 c. flour
• 3 tsp. ginger
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. milk WITH 2 tsp. baking soda;1 tsp. salt;1 tsp. cinnamon
  

1. Cream together the softened margarine, brown sugar and molasses.
2. Blend together the flour and ginger.
3. Mix the baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the milk.
4. Beat the egg with a fork and mix into the milk mixture.
5. Add the milk mixture into the sugar/margarine mixture and blend.
6. Add the flour into the bowl and mix well.

Chill overnight. Roll out and cut in desired shapes.

Bake at 350 deg. for about 10 minutes, depending on your oven :o)

[Check them to be sure because mine tend to be browner on the bottom than I'd like because of my oven ... I should really use an oven thermometer!]

As I mentioned above, I divided this in half and it still made about 16-18 medium gingerbread men which is enough for our family. They can be decorated however you like once they are cooled.

I decided to ice these sparingly and I've frozen the rest so my daughter and I can decorate them once she's here :o)



The same day I made these, I made another batch of microwave chocolate fudge and this time I added about 1/2 cup of pecan pieces when I added the vanilla extract ~ it is delcious :o)

I tried a different shortbread recipe as well and am very glad that I made only half the recipe because they are definitely NOT a favourite! I'm going to stick to my own grandmother's tried and true shortbread recipe and make a batch next week.

Between Friday night and Saturday morning we received about 14 inches of snow and I will breathe a sigh of relief when I get our new snow tires put on this Tuesday because they make a huge difference on these snowy and sometimes, very icy, roads :o)

Blessings,