Ingredients

• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• Butter or oil to grease cookie sheets

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.
3. Whisk together egg, vanilla extract and milk in a separate bowl.
4. Add egg mixture to butter and sugar. Beat until blended.
5. Slowly add in flour mixture. If the mixture becomes too thick for your mixer, add the remaining flour by hand. Knead the dough on a flat surface until all the flour is incorporated.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C).
8. Grease cookie sheets with butter or oil.
9. Roll out the chilled dough so that it is approximately 1/8-1/4 inch thick on a flat surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar or a one-third sugar/two-thirds flour mixture.
10. Cut out the dough using your cookie cutters. To keep the cutters from sticking to the dough, spray lightly with cooking spray.
11. Place the cookies on greased cookie sheets.
12. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. If your oven heats unevenly, you may wish to rotate the sheets after five minutes.
13. Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges of the cookie start to brown and the cookie is golden. 
14. Cool on a rack for approximately two hours before decorating or freezing.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp of ground ginger
• 1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cloves

• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk or sifter
• Heavy duty mixer
• Plastic wrap
• Cookie sheet
• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin
• Gingerbread man cookie cutter
• Spatula

1. Beat the sugar and butter using an electric mixer until it is a creamy consistency.
2. Add the egg and the molasses and mix well.
3. Sift dry ingredients together and combine with the butter mixture.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for an hour before rolling and cutting out.
5. When removing the dough from the refrigerator, allow about 15 minutes for it to become workable before rolling.
6. Roll into small batches, reusing the remaining dough after cutting shapes.
7. Bake for 10 minutes on 350° F (176° C).
8. Decorate with icing.

Break out your pastry bags and gumdrops and give those gingerbread men some eyes. Either purchase frosting or make your own to add to the decoration.

You can decorate your cookies before putting them in the oven. Try one of these pre-baking decorating techniques: