Glittery Gingerbread Men

[ Pretty shimmering sugar sprinkles found at Williams-Sonoma ]

What is more Christmas-appropriate than Gingerbread Men cookies? It’s practically custom to eat these cute little men during the holiday season. My youngest sister, Mimi & I baked this low-calorie version before we headed to the terribly crowded mall. The cookies were a nice distraction to the craziness; she was the perfect assistant & froster.

Crunchiness is exceedingly important to me when it comes to cookies & these went above & beyond my expectations [ Mimi agreed too! ].

[ Pixy, salivating over the spicy gingerbread ]

[ Gold sprinkles gifted by my friend, Bri ]

[ The perfect man: he doesn’t speak! ]

[ Little blue boxes for my co-workers ]

Glittery Gingerbread Men [ Low-Calorie- 87 cals per cookie ]

[ Recipe adapted from Prevention Magazine ]

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons light canola butter [ room temperature ]

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1/3 cup water

Icing [ Optional ]

[ Recipe adapted from Prevention Magazine ]

2 teaspoons powered egg whites

2 tablespoons water

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease baking sheets. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses. Beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until well-blended. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a stiff but well-blended dough. Divide the dough into four equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece out to 1/4″ thickness. Using your gingerbread cookie cutters, cut into shapes. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1″ between the cookies. Bake for seven minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on a rack for two minutes. Remove to the rack to cool completely. When completely cooled, decorate with the icing & glitter sprinkles.

* Icing: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat 2 teaspoons powdered egg whites and 2 tablespoons water until well-blended. Gradually add 2 cups confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, beating constantly. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, as necessary to make a smooth icing. Add still more if the icing starts to thicken while decorating. Put plastic wrap over icing until ready to use. Add glitter sprinkles on top of icing [ after it’s spread on the cookies ].