Wow! this recipe is amazingly delicious, shiny, and simple. I have made it twice now for two seperate batches of gingerbread men. The first time, I prepared the recipe as written. The second time, I used clear vanilla extract and added a pinch of ginger and cinnamon to give it a special kick. I love how you really don't have to formally measure the ingredients, just keep mixing and add the milk little by little until you get the consistency right. The icing sets so beautiful! Glossy, firm, and stays that way. Awesome recipe!

Reviewed On: Dec. 19, 2008

I doubled the recipe to give me a nice army of gingerbread men. I ended up cutting the molasses with about 1/4 cup of honey because when I smelled the molasses, I became horrified and worried I wouldn't like the cookie flavor. I added all other ingredients as written. The dough is wonderfully easy to work with, unlike Eileens Spicy Gingerbread men. I baked them for about 9 min and they came out crispy on the edges, tender in the middle. The flavor is mild, and not too spicy. Overall, I think this is a good recipe. I like my gingerbread men a tad more "cake like" so I will keep with Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men recipe nest time.

Reviewed On: Dec. 19, 2008

I had to make adjustments to the recipe based on what I had at home. I used butter instead of margarine, 1/4 cup molasses and 1/4 cup honey, halved the cloves and doubled the cinnamon. The dough was awful to work with! It was very dry and crumbly. I let it chill in the fridge for an hour before working with it, hoping that I could just knead it properly to get it to the right texture. I ended up having to rub a dab of batter in my hands before kneading it to make the dough more pliable. The taste however, is superb! I baked them just until done, then pulled them out to sit on the cookie sheet for 1 min and moved to the cookie wracks after. The flavor is just spicy enough, and the texture is melt in your mouth soft, yet light. I love the flavor! Perhaps when I make it again I will add 1 or 2 T of milk to the dough before chilling.

Reviewed On: Dec. 19, 2008