A Few (Really) Good Men

This recipe for gingerbread men is the best I have ever tried, and all my friends agree! What makes them different is the orange zest. Adapted from a recipe that originally came from Allrecipes.com. (Dough needs to chill for at least 3 hours or overnight)

• Ready In: 32 mins
• Yields: 36-60 cookies

Ingredients

• 1  cup butter, softened
• 1 1⁄2 cups white sugar
• 1  egg
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons orange zest
• 2  tablespoons dark corn syrup (light works ok, too)
• 3  cups flour
• 2  teaspoons baking soda
• 2  teaspoons cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Cream the butter and the sugar in a large bowl.
2. (I find it easier if I melt the butter a little bit before adding to the sugar).
3. Add the egg and mix well.
4. Mix in the orange peel (sometimes I also add a tsp or so of fresh juice from the orange for extra flavor) and corn syrup.
5. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
6. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, to wet ingredients until well combined.
7. (I find it easier to work with when mixed by hand as opposed to using a mixer).
8. Chill dough overnight or at least 3 hours.
9. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
10. Roll dough out 1/4" thick and cut to desired shapes.
11. Place cookies 1" apart on prepared cookie sheets.
12. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
13. (cookies spread out a little, so make sure you leave enough space around edges).