Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man and how he began

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 c molasses
red hots, raisins, frosting

1. In a medium-sized bowl, sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the molasses. Slowly add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture, sutffin after each addition with the wooden spoon or mixer (the dough should be stiff).
3. Divide the dough in half, flatten into a think pancake, and cover with plastic wrap (or put it in ziploc bags). Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll out. (If dough becomes too stiff, soften for 10 minutes at room temperature for easy rolling).
4. Preheat oven to 350. Dust the counter generously with flour, roll out the dough to a 1/4 in thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men and a spatula to transfer to a greased cookie sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. Press in red hots and raisins.
5. Bake 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Be careful as you remove the gingerbread men from the oven, this is the time they are most likely to run away, at which time a terrible chase scene ensues.

"Run, run, run, fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"