Gingerbread Men (Better late than never)

Every Christmas my family whips up a batch or two of gingerbread cookies and then sits down around the table to decorate them in all manner of crazy ways. Now, I have always loved the decorating part, it is one of my favorite Holiday traditions, but I have never been such a fan of actually eating the gingerbread. To me, gingerbread has always tasted like spicy cardboard. I've always though of them as chewy, bland, just barely salvaged by the generous amount of icing smeared across them. This year, however, I discovered a recipe that completely changed my preconceptions of gingerbread. These cookies had all the punch of flavor of a gingersnap but were still mild enough so that the addition of decorations did not make them overwhelming. In addition, the cookies were strong enough to support gobs of sprinkles and icing and candies without having the consistency of a wood.

Gingerbread Men (adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup sugar (I used raw cane sugar)
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
generous grate of fresh nutmeg
pinch black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the butter, milk, and sugar. In a small saucepan heat the molasses to the boiling point, pour over the sugar/butter/milk mixture and stir until the butter is completely melted. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda. Combine the dry mixture with the wet mixture If needed, add a bit of water to the dough so that the dough sticks together and handles easily. Roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thick sheet and cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Bake 5 to 7 minutes . Allow to cool completely and then have fun decorating.