Gingerbread Men with Candy Canes

Stop right where you are! You NEED to make these adorable gingerbread men. Yes, we can note how cute they look holding onto mini candy canes, but the best part is how delicious they are. A caramelized, brown sugar base creates the perfect ratio of chewy and crisp (the ideal cookie in my mind); and warming spices (ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg) send the whole thing home. Like a warm hug, in a cookie. And level of difficulty? Easy.

Here's the deal with the "ginger" aspect of these cookies. I LOVE gingerbread cookies, but I don't like when my eyes water while eating them. I like "just enough" ginger to taste it, but not so much that it overpowers everything else. And I know people agree. In fact, my mom took one bite and said, "Oh my God, these are the best gingerbread cookies ever." That said, if you like a strong ginger flavor in your cookies, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger.

About the work surface... When making cookies and other sweet things that require rolling out (pie crusts, etc.), I always coat  my work surface with powdered sugar instead of flour. Why? Think about it - when you work on flour, the dough gets covered with flour. Now you risk dry cookies; or a tacky, flour-coated tongue. No thanks. When you coat your work surface with powdered sugar, the dough doesn't stick (thanks to cornstarch in the sugar) AND the powdery sugar adds a subtle sweetness to the dough. If you don't believe me, try it this ONE time. I bet you never turn back.

Want to prep ahead? Great! You can make the dough and keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days before rolling out and cutting into gingerbread men. You can also freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator.

Gingerbread Men with Candy Canes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup or molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for work surface
16-20 mini candy canes
Mini chocolate chips for decorating
Icing for decorating

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup (or molasses), egg, and vanilla. Beat in the flour and mix until blended.

Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a disc. 

Wrap the dough with the plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour (and up to 3 days). 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Generously cover your work surface with powdered sugar. 

Roll out the dough until 1/4-inch thick, or slightly thicker for chewier cookies (that's what I do, somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2-inch thick). 

Use a cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread men and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.

Place a candy cane in the center of each cookie and pull up one arm to "hug" the candy.

Bake for 7 minutes, until the cookies are just golden and the candy canes just start to melt.
While the cookies are still warm, add the chocolate chip to make eyes and buttons (if you miss this window of opportunity, no big deal, simply insert the chocolate chips into the cooled cookies - press them in gently).
Cool before decorating with icing. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Makes about 16-20 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter