One of America's Favorite Christmas Treats - Gingerbread Man

A gingerbread man is a biscuit or cookie made of gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized human, although other shapes, especially seasonal themes (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc.) and characters, are quite common as well.

Gingerbread man

Gingerbread dates back to the 15th century, and figural biscuit-making was practiced in the 16th century. The first documented instance of figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits was at the court of Elizabeth I of England. She had the gingerbread figures made and presented in the likeness of some of her important guests.







Most gingerbread men share the same roughly humanoid shape, with stubby feet and no fingers. Many gingerbread men have a face, though whether the features are indentations within the face itself or other candies stuck on with icing or chocolate varies from recipe to recipe. Other decorations are common; hair, shirt cuffs, and shoes are sometimes applied, but by far the most popular decoration is shirt buttons, which are traditionally represented by gum drops, icing, or raisins.

Gingerbread man and his wife

According to the 2009 Guinness Book of Records, the world’s largest gingerbread man was made on December 2, 2006 by the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce in Smithville, Texas, at their annual Festival of Lights celebration. The gingerbread man weighed in at 1,308 lbs, 8 oz (593.5 kg), and stood at over 20 feet (more than 6 m). On December 6, 2008, also in conjunction with the annual Festival of Lights celebration, a monument was dedicated in honor of the feat made from the very cookie sheet that was used to break the record.






Gingerbread Men Cookies (From http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gingerbread-men-cookies/)


"These Gingerbread Men Cookies are as cute as can be. If desired, decorate with raisins, currants or cinnamon red hot candies for eyes and buttons. Or, pipe untinted or colored icing onto cookies."
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons McCormick® Ginger,
Ground
1 teaspoon McCormick® Cinnamon,
Ground
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Nutmeg,
Ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla
Extract


DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla;mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to5 days.


Nutrition
Information
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Calories: 158
Amount Per Serving
Total Fat: 6.1g
Cholesterol: 24mg
Sodium: 125mg
Amount Per Serving
Total Carbs: 24g
    Dietary Fiber: 0.5g
Protein: 2g


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gingerbread-men-cookies/