That Elusive Gingerbread Man

I love fall.

I love Thanksgiving.

I love cookies, and chocolate, and baking.

This is my favorite time of year.
The only time that I like pumpkin (and still only in a dessert). They finally put salt on my toffee nut mocha at Starbucks. The garden retires, making room in my schedule for things like baking!

This year I have made so many new things for the season; cookies, pancakes, and scones. But my favorite by far is not so much for the taste, but for the fun of it.

Gingerbread men.

Granted unless you adore molasses and ginger, this cookie isn't the most tantalizing thing you will eat. But the process of making them is so much fun, it make it taste that much better.

I thought it would be a fun experience for the kids to make the gingerbread men, and we ended up inviting friends and family to play along with us!

 

Jessie helping everyone get dough rolled out.

 

We did things a little different than most; we decorated the gingerbread men before baking them instead of after. And instead of using icing, we used things like m&ms, chocolate chips, pecans and caramel bits. This made it easier for my kids to decorate, since they are too young to use a piping bag. We also had different cutters like leaves and acorns.

 

 

Gracie and I look like we're concentrating.

 

 

Lechelle tirelessly helped Sabrina decorate many gingerbread men. They both were covered in flour when she was finished.

 

 

She did most of the decorating herself, mostly with green m&ms.

 

 

This picture was taken after Sabrina accidently got her elbow in Ryder's gingerbread man. He wasn't thrilled.

 

 

Gracie and Ava came up with lots of creative ideas. Here Gracie made a larger leaf out of several smaller leaves.

 

 

This was Sabrina's greatest creation.

 

 

This was Ryder's favorite. It is Iron Man, and the dough on the face is a mask. There is, in fact, m&m eyes underneath the "mask."

 

 

Ryder's face when he finished his Iron Man gingerbread man.

 

 

Everyone got to make all that they wanted, and we ended up with quite a variety of gingerbread men! When we were all finished, we enjoyed hot chocolate with our fresh baked cookies.

 

This was such a fun activity, and it was nice that it was so kid friendly; even my two year old could do it! I believe we have started a new tradition for Thanksgiving!