Gingerbread Junction

Gingerbread Play Dough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
Spices: allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
1 cup water
1 tsp. vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients with spices to get color you like (smells good too). Mix water and vegetable oil together, add to dry ingredients, stir. Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes in a pot, stirring frequently. The dough will pull away from sides of pan and clump together. Knead the dough until soft, smooth, and pliable. Cool. Store in air tight container such as plastic freezer bag.

The Gingerbread Man
Sung to: The Muffin Man

	Oh, do you know the Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Man? Oh, do you know the Gingerbread Man, Who ran and ran and ran?
He said, "Catch me if you can, If you can, if you can." He said, "Catch me if you can." Then ran and ran and ran.
	I can run like the Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Man. I can run like the Gingerbread Man, Now catch me if you can!

Gingerbread Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
pinch salt
3/4 cup molasses
1 egg
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Cream together first 6 ingredients. Add egg and mix. Add molasses and mix again. Mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl. Sift. Add to the creamed mixture and stir until well blended. Chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out dough 1/4 at a time to 1/8" thickness or slightly thicker on a lightly floured board. Cut with a cookie cutter and transfer to a greased (or non stick) cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Before baking, decorate with raisins as you like. Place in oven for 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Decorate with icing, m&m's, chocolate chips or any other items you wish.

Gingerbread in a Jar

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed brown sugar

Mix 2 cups of the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour with the ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. In a 1 quart, wide mouth canning jar, layer the ingredients starting with the flour and baking powder mixture, then the brown sugar, and finally the flour and spice mixture. Pack firmly between layers.

Attach a card to the jar with the following directions:
Gingerbread Cookies
1. Empty contents of jar into a large mixing bowl. Stir to blend together. Mix in 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, 3/4 cup molasses, and 1 slightly beaten egg. Dough will be very stiff, so you may need to use your hands. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Place cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Decorate as desired.

Make a fun gift by adding a jar of gingerbread mix, a jar of molasses, and lots of candy decorations and frosting to a cute basket. Tie the handle with a piece of homespun ribbon and your friends are sure to love their gift!

Sandpaper Gingerbread Men

Fine Grit Sand Paper
Cookie Cutter (for template)
Dimensional craft paint in red, green & white
teeny buttons, ribbon scraps,etc
Construction paper in brown, red or green
Cinnamon Stick (optional)

Trace around the cookie cutter on the back side of the sand paper and on construction paper. Cut out the gingerbread shapes. Using dimensional paint add facial features and "icing" swirls on legs and arms on the sand paper gingerbread man. Once dry, glue on buttons or ribbon bows if desired. Make a loop from a small piece of ribbon and glue between the construction paper back and the sand paper front. You can rub the sand paper with the cinnamon stick to give your gingerbread man a yummy smell if you like.

Gingerbread Jars

recycled glass jars with lids
craft paint in brown, white, black and pink
acrylic spray

Clean and remove the glue (nail polish remover works great!) from each jar. Paint two coats of brown paint on the jar and lid. Let dry over night. Lightly trace the face and paint in the facial features with black and white paints. Paint cheeks with watered down pink paint. Seal with an acrylic spray.