You Can't Catch Me; I'm the Gingerbread (wo)Man!

Every year for Valentine's Day, I make Sebastien some gingerbread cookies. Don't ask me why....

What I do know is that the first time I made them for him, he literally ate so many he got sick. So I took that as a compliment and have been making them since. This past weekend (I guess in honor of summer?), I made them again. They aren't very summery, but they are tasty, and there were no complaints.


(Extra) Ginger Gingerbread Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1c. white sugar
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg (I use fresh, and it is really nice, but you can use the jar too)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt (I use kosher, because I like getting bites with more "bite," you know?)
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

1c. melted butter
1/2c. evaporated milk
1/2c. maple syrup
1/2c. unsulfered molasses
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. lemon extract

4c. all-purpose flour

1/4c. chopped dried candied ginger (this is the secret!)

1. Preheat oven to 350'F and grease cookie sheet

2. Find some cute cookie-cutters that you have tucked away (this time I wanted a summery theme, so I made bees, hearts, and starfish). Set them aside

3. Mix the first 6 ingredients (all dry ingredients except flour and chopped candied ginger)

4. Mix in the next 6 (wet)

5. Stir in the flour. If it is still sticky (mine usually is), add 1/2 to 1c. more. Add chopped candied ginger.

6. Roll to 1/2" thick.

7. Cut and place on baking sheet.

8. Bake at 350' for 9-11 minutes.

The frosting, I am almost embarrassed to put online. I feel like I need to justify it. It does have corn syrup in it, and I adamantly avoid it when I can. It is unfortunately very bad for you, and even more, it is in virtually all prepared foods at the supermarket. So, I think I may have put on sunglasses when I actually bought a container at the store. BUT, I am very careful about my corn syrup intake, and I seldom make these cookies, and it makes the frosting SO lovely and shiny, like a nice glaze. *If any of you know of an alternative to using it that will still result in shiny little cookie gems, please let me know.* So - ahem - here without further ado:

Lovely Glazed Icing

1c. confectioners sugar

2 tsp. milk

2 tsp. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. lemon extract

whatever food coloring you would like (this time I opted for white)

some lemon zest, if you have it on hand

1. Mix sugar and milk.

2. Add everything else.

3. Dip cookies in, or I like to paint it on with a kitchen brush.

4. Enjoy!