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Posh in Progress

How to Make a DIY Cookie Cutter for Funny Gingerbread Man Cookies

By Stacey Freeman 3 Comments

How to Make a DIY Cookie Cutter for Funny Gingerbread Man Cookies

I love to bake. Especially during the holidays, I’m constantly trying out a new cookie recipe. This year, I knew I wanted to try making a hanging gingerbread man recipe. What I didn’t know is that we’d undertake a DIY cookie cutter project in order to craft the perfectly silly gingerbread men we created.

Why Would You Bother to Make Your Own DIY Cookie Cutter?

How to Make a DIY Cookie Cutter for Funny Gingerbread Man CookiesWe decided to make our own DIY cookie cutter because we couldn’t find the size or shape we wanted. I say “we” here because this was sort of a group project for my hubby and me. We wanted to make gingerbread man cookies that perch on the edge of a mug. We saw these cute little houses a few years ago, and we made these mug hanging leaf cookies a couple of months ago. Combining the two ideas, we came up with these funny gingerbread men to hang on the side of a mug.

Initially, we didn’t own a gingerbread man cookie cutter that would make small enough gingerbread men to properly hang off the edge of a mug. While searching online for where to buy one, my husband ran across this tutorial for making your own cookie cutters. He took up the challenge of making a cookie cutter from scratch. He was extra enthusiastic after sketching out his idea on a sheet of notebook paper. We both giggled at his little sketch. My hubby is pretty handy,so I let him have at it of making a cookie cutter from scratch.

He came back from the hardware store with the metal and glue to hold it together. He then broke out the needle-nosed pliers and bent his little idea into fruition. It was actually much easier than we anticipated. I think his little cookie cutter turned out so well! It definitely gave me ideas of more cookies cutters we can make in the future.

How We Chose the Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

I’ve tried making gingerbread men and other cut-out cookies over the years, but I’ve always struggled to find a good dough recipe. I decided to use the recipe and tips I read from Not Martha’s gingerbread houses when deciding which recipe to use. I chose to adapt the Martha Stewart recipe mostly because I was so impressed with how well Not Martha’s gingerbread houses turned out — straight, no spreading.

To create this gingerbread dough recipe, you’ll definitely want to stock up on plenty of Gold Medal Flour and Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. I always stick to these quality brands that have been around for more than 100 years. You can find Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour 5 lb. bags and 2 lb. boxes of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in the Walmart baking aisle. I tend to purchase several bags and boxes at a time so I’m always prepared for my holiday baking. It drives me absolutely crazy when I’m planning to make a new cookie recipe, I have all the ingredients out, and I realize I don’t have enough of something.

The first time I made the dough, it was way too dry, so I had to remake it. If you make this recipe, I would suggest you only add 5 cups of Gold Medal flour and then add the remaining cup a little at a time to make sure you have the right consistency.

How to Decorate the Hanging Gingerbread Men

To decorate our gingerbread men, we made a simple royal icing recipe and found these silly eyes. If you don’t want to make your gingerbread men with their hands down, you could easily adapt this recipe to use a standard gingerbread man cookie cutter.To get your men to sit on the cup, simply cut a small notch in between their legs. If you find your dough spreads at all while baking, you can always create a slightly larger notch when they come out of the oven. While the dough is still hot, just use a little pairing knife to make a larger notch.

Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

5-6 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon Arm & Hammer baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Royal Icing Recipe

Adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients:

3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add confectioners’ sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. For immediate use, transfer icing to pastry bag or heavy duty storage bag and pipe as desired. If using storage bag, clip corner. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This post was compensated by Acorn Influencer Network. All opinions are my own. #BestOfBaking #Ad

 

 

Tagged With: Christmas, cookie cutter, cookies, DIY, gingerbread

About Stacey Freeman

I am a Style Maven, Mommy, Educator, and Traveler.

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Comments

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Trackbacks

  1. These Gingerbread Emoji Cookies Might Look Like a New Tradition - Posh in Progress says:
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    […] skills with royal icing to make gingerbread emoji cookies. After making these irreverent and funny gingerbread men, I had a bunch of leftover gingerbread dough and royal icing.  I racked my brain to think of […]

    Reply
  2. Here are 15 Easy and Fun Christmas Traditions for Kids | Posh in Progress says:
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    […] If you’re looking for some other cookie ideas, here are some of my favorites for the holidays: gingerbread men; gluten-free almond thumbprints; Italian wedding cookies; chocolate […]

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POSH IN PROGRESS - Since 2013
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Dr. Stacey Freeman
MLK weekend vibes💙. It has been so warm in LA w MLK weekend vibes💙. It has been so warm in LA we spent all day at the beach yesterday. Today, we are taking in local parks and another gorgeous day. But, my heart is heavy with the state of our world. 
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Today, as we celebrate an important figure in the fight for Black equality, I’m choosing not to share one of his famous quotes because that’s too easy. Simply sharing his words without considering or sharing my perspective about the current state of our country feels disingenuous at best.
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I’ve struggled with how to talk about the insurrection because I still find it all so shocking. And the fact that I am shocked is a problem. That our country can be so divided that it’s difficult for me to even fathom how people could participate in this divisiveness.
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The insurrection happened on my birthday, as I flew to Puerto Vallarta. Landing in Mexico and learning about what was happening felt surreal. I still can’t wrap my head around it, honestly.  What scares me the most is the hate. The idolizing of a white supremacist ideology is terrifying. It terrifies me for my children. For their safety. For their lives.
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I understand that a lot of hate is spurred by fear, lack of understanding and discomfort. Today, I hope we can all think about how to be more open to thoughts and perspectives that our different than our own. Be more accepting of people who look different, who have different cultures and life experiences. Today, I hope we can all collectively try to confront every human interaction from a place of love and kindness. If we all spent a little more time considering the other person’s life or story, I think we’d have a lot more peace and happiness. #mlk #mlkday #mlkweekend
“I’ve left my heart in so many places...” . “I’ve left my heart in so many places...”
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Puerto Vallarta, I love you. And I’ll see you soon💙.
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#ad One of my goals for the new year is to focus o #ad One of my goals for the new year is to focus on balance. With the kids back to school, it can be hard to find time to make meals. That's why I love having @Progresso Toppers soups on hand because they make quick and  tasty lunch options when I'm super busy. They are so convenient - and the soup also comes with a topper for the perfect crunch. They come in five different flavors and are ready in minutes. All five flavors of the Progresso Toppers are made with quality ingredients and no added sugar, or artificial flavors, or colors. If you're looking for a quick, convenient and delicious lunch option, definitely check out Progresso Toppers! #progresso #progressotoppers #takeacrunchbreak
Does anyone else have the January blues? . After Does anyone else have the January blues? 
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After the high of the holidays, I find myself feeling kinda sad in January.
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Last week in Puerto Vallarta was such a dream but I’m definitely feeling the post-vacation blues. 
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Don’t mind me, I may be posting these vaca photos for awhile. Take me back 😭. @villapremiere @enroute_communications #puertovallarta #travelblog #travelgram #hosted #hosteby
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I’ve received a lot of DMs about traveling to Puerto Vallarta. New on poshinprogress.com, I’m sharing a full blog recap, including my thoughts on traveling during the pandemic and the experience we had.
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Here’s a bit about where we stayed —  @villapremiere — is doing a fantastic job at keeping their employees and guests safe. Everyone is required to wear a mask; social distancing is maintained at all restaurants and public spaces; staff do not enter rooms except for room cleaning when the room is empty; hand sanitizing stations are present throughout the resort; hotel capacity is capped to ensure proper social distancing. I honestly felt very safe. If you have any other questions, please dm me or leave your questions below. 
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