FAUX GINGERBREAD MEN RECIPE!

FAUX GINGERBREAD MEN

Run, run, as fast as you can.

You can't catch me,

I'm the Gingerbread Man!


INGREDIENTS:

3 Tablespoons Shortening
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Molasses
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 Cup water
3 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon of cloves, ginger and cinnamon
raisins
acrylic spray sealer
acrylic white paint
Elmers glue

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 DEGREES.
Beat shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, Stir in molasses.
Sift the dry ingredients together.
Stir into the shortening mixture in 3 parts, alternating with a 3/4 cup of water each time
Dough will be stiff.
Refrigerate over night. Cut dough into 3 pieces.
Knead to warm dough slightly, and then roll each piece out to 1/4 thick.
Cut out gingerbread pattern of your choice. Use your cookie cutters to create gingerbread men. You can create shirts and pants and dresses for the characters by cutting two gingerbread men from the same cookie cutter, then recutting one of the men into clothing. You can make eyes and buttons using a straw.

Once you are through with the design, poke a hole in the head with a toothpick or straw if you desire to use the cookies as ornaments. The cookies also look (and smell!) nice, after completed, if left out on a plate as a centerpiece. Just make sure everyone knows they are inedible!

Make the eyes, mouth, & buttons with the raisins now or wait till they have been sprayed with the clear acrylic and then combine Elmers glue and white paint in approximately a 50/50 ratio to create a "frosting." This "frosting" can be used to paint on eyes, buttons,mouths or squiggly clothing lines.
I prefer the old fashion raisins.

Place cookies on a cookie sheet and bake 20 mins, turn oven off and let cook in oven.
Remove from cookie sheet and place on a rack to dry for about 3 days to totally harden.

When harden seal cookies with a couple coats of matte clear acrylic sealer or if you want the gingerbread men to be shinny use gloss clear acrylic sealer.
They can also be dipped into scented wax.
Let the paint/glue dry, and they're ready for hanging or putting on a plate as a decoration

You can easily and quickly turn a mostly-empty glue bottle into a frosting tube for the gingerbread men. Remove the top off the bottle, add the paint, and stir the glue and paint together to form the frosting. The tip of the glue bottle is just the right size for decorating your gingerbread men.