gingerbread cookies

About a week before Christmas, I attempted to make gingerbread cookies from scratch. I found this recipe, which I thought looked pretty simple, from a Betty Crocker magazine. I got all the ingredients, mixed it together as instructed, and then put it in a ziplock bag to chill in the fridge before rolling the dough for cookie cutters. I noticed that the dough was really runny, which I thought was really odd.

So, as that gingerbread dough was cooling in the fridge, I started on mixing another batch of cookie dough for andes mint chocolate cookies (I was preparing cookie dough to bake an assortment of Christmas cookies for the office). When it came time to add flour to the mix, I realized I was holding in my hand a 1/2 cup measuring cup, and NOT 1 cup measuring cup. Then it clicked and I realized why the gingerbread dough was so runny - I had added only half the required amount of flour as I thought I was using the 1 cup measuring cup when in actuality, I was holding the 1/2 cup measuring cup in my hand. Oh well, so that gingerbread mix went in the trash.

I didn't attempt the gingerbread again. Instead, I was at Williams Sonoma and found this:

Gingerbread cookie mix! Just add eggs and butter - who can screw that up, right? I found the pair of gingerbread girl and boy cookie cutters at Crate and Barrel.

As an impromptu purchase, I also bought this fancier cookie cutter set from Williams Sonoma:



So, on Christmas Eve, all by lonesome in my apartment with the Christmas lights on and the TV blaring "A Christmas Story", I made me some gingerbread cookies.

After the cookies cooled down, I started putting on some expressions on these cute little guys.

And looky at my gingerbread family! =)

I picked out all the pretty ones to bring to Christmas Dinner with my roommate's family.

These gingerbread cookies and this apple pie below were a great hit at dinner.

And I still have a bag of the "ugly" gingerbread kids (wherein my frosting work wasn't the greatest) sitting on the counter. I can't believe I'm saying this, but no more cookies for me. Well, at least until next year. =)