Gingerbread men for mugs

Ingredients:

Gingerbread men

• 2 cups of premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• 1 tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp of soda
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 55g unsalted butter, cut into 2.5cm pieces, room temperature
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• Special equipment: a 7.5 cm gingerbread man shaped cookie cutter; 8 wooden sticks, 30 cm long and 0.5 cm in diameter.

Glaze

• 220 g (about 1 and 2/3 cups) powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup dry egg white
• Red, green and black food coloring
• 24 mini lollipop canes

Preparation:

1. Gingerbread men:
   
   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer, starting on low speed and increasing to high, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
   
   Stir in the molasses and vanilla extract until fully incorporated, then beat in the egg. The mixture will appear curdled.
2. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture, a little at a time, until dough begins to come together, then increase speed and beat until all ingredients are well incorporated and you have a sticky dough.
3. Divide the dough in half, form two disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Position two racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Refrigerate one disk of dough, and roll out the other on a well-floured work surface to a thickness of just over 0.3 cm (0.25 in). Flour the dough as needed, occasionally sliding a spatula under it to prevent sticking. If the dough cracks, press it down. Shake off any excess flour.
5. Cut out gingerbread men from the dough as close together as possible. Remove any trimmings and, using a small spatula, transfer the figures to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 cm apart (3 rows of 4). Gather up all the trimmings, shaking off any excess flour, then knead the dough a few times until smooth.
6. Roll out and cut out the gingerbread men again. If the dough becomes too sticky, refrigerate it, wrapped in plastic wrap, for a few minutes. If any bits of dough stick to the work surface, scrape them off with a spatula, dust the surface with flour again, and continue rolling.
7. Place the cookies on the baking sheet in the freezer to firm up, about 5 minutes.
   
   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
8. While the dough is chilling, roll the scraps of dough into a long, 0.5 cm thick rope and cut it into 2.5 cm long pieces. Remove the chilled figures from the freezer and press a 2.5 cm long piece of dough onto the end of each person's left hand to lengthen them.
9. Wrap eight wooden skewers, each 12 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter, tightly in foil (they should be smooth), then spray generously with cooking spray. Line up four gingerbread men vertically and wrap their left hands around a skewer, each holding a single skewer and spaced 1/4 inch apart.
10. Repeat with the remaining groups of 4 people and place the dough figures on the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second disk of dough on a different baking sheet.
11. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until they are slightly firm to the touch but not browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
12. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and gently twist the sticks to loosen them. Let the cookies cool completely, then carefully remove the people from the sticks one by one, being careful not to break your hands. The cookies will continue to harden as they cool.
13. Glaze:
    
    In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and dry egg whites. Add 4 tablespoons of water and beat with a hand mixer on low speed until the icing thickens and turns snow-white. Divide the icing into several bowls and tint it to your desired colors.
14. Place the icing in pastry bags or zip-lock plastic bags and snip off the corners to the desired size. Decorate the gingerbread men with the icing and let dry for about 1 hour.
15. Carefully insert the candy canes into the people's hands, with the hook facing behind their heads. Pipe a small amount of icing into the holes to secure the candies. Place them against the edge of a baking sheet to allow the icing to set, about 1 hour.