Going Classic: Gingerbread Boys for Christmas!

Today was a snow day, so the kids and I made gingerbread boys. I tried them once a couple years ago with disastrous results, but C found a recipe while perusing Food Network (she's not quite 5, so this involved clicking on a picture of a gingerbread boy on a recipe page I was already on). It's a Paula Deen and looked quite decent, so we gave it a try. Success! The cookies are quite firm but not crunchy except the edges. The flavor is good, although our family would like a bit of a stronger flavor. The overall process was one of the easiest cookies I've ever done, actually. Proceed carefully, and I think a baker with only basic-moderate skills could do this one. Get good at them, and they would look fantastic in cellophane bags and tucked into goody boxes too!

Gingerbread Boys and Girls
3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 stick salted butter, softened (I used 1 stick - 1/2 cup - Blue Bonnet margarine)
2 large eggs (I used 1/2 cup Eggbeaters)
1/4 c. molasses
3 3/4 c. all purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface (I used less than 1/3 c. on my butcher block countertop)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (no, I did not grate my own but did use ground nutmeg bought in the last month)
1/2 tsp salt
for the icing:
1 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted (yeah, I skipped the sifting and just made sure that there weren't any lumps)
1-2 T. milk (I used soy milk)

1. Using a mixer on low speed, cream the brown sugar and butter in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Mix in the eggs and molasses.
2. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small-medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix with a spoon (I used the "stir" setting on my KitchenAid). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (I used a Rubbermaid container rather than waste plastic wrap); place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour. **Note that this is a firm dough, so just chill it for an hour and trust it! This picture is the dough right after mixing.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes until pliable (I didn't need to do this step). Line cooke sheets with parchment paper (I *love* parchment paper!).
4. Take about 1/2 cup dough at a time and roll on a flour surface to 1/4" thick. (I did this, and I got about three gingerbread boys! After that I took a couple of fistfuls and rolled the dough out. I also measured with a ruler to make sure that I was 1/4" thick all the way around. Cookies that vary in thickness won't bake evenly!)
5. Cut out shapes with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters, rerolling the scraps to make more. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets, leaving space between them.

6. Refrigerate the cookies for 20 minutes, then bake until they just begin to brown at the edges, 18-20 minutes. (Okay, what parent with small kids has room in the fridge for this?! I skipped the refrigeration and baked for 16 minutes. I could probably have baked for 14 minutes for a softer cookie.)
7. Cool slightly, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Meanwhile, make the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and milk in a bowl (I added 1 T of milk, stirred well, then dripped in milk from the second tablespoon until it was the right consistency, using about 1/2 the second tablespoon.) Leave white or divide among bowls and add food coloring. Decorate cookies with icing: use a pastry bag to pipe eyes, mouths, buttons, and bow ties. (In a pinch, spoon the icing into a zipper sandwich bag, remove air, zip, and then snip a small amount off one bottom corner to make a piping bag.)

Recipe from Paula Deen, courtesy of Food Network.