Mom's Gingerbread Men

I made my first batch of gingerbread men cookies using mom's tried and true recipe.  These boys are spicy and sweet and bake up soft and delicious every time!  You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to roll and bake.
The dough can handle a fair amount of kneading and rolling if you have little people helping that want to play and roll and flatten several times before actually cutting out any shapes!
I don't usually ice mine, but you certainly can decorate them up with icing, sprinkles and small candies.  I usually just give them two eyes and a belly button and a sprinkle of raw sugar before baking them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until just starting to brown at the edges, but are still soft.

Cream 1/4 cup each butter and shortening with 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Stir in 1/2 cup molasses and one large beaten egg mixing to combine.  Add some grated orange rind if you like.
Mix dry ingredients and add to above:
2  1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Combine dry ingredients with creamed butter and sugar mixture until a smooth soft dough forms.
Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks.  Wrap and store in the fridge until you are ready to roll and cut.
Bake at 350 as instructed above.

A batch of dough with some small candies and sprinkles and  instructions for icing all packed into a box and tied up with a few cookie cutters makes a creative gift for someone you love.