Giant Gingerbread – A Sticky Story

I’m not much of a baker, but Melanie, a writer friend of mine, has been baking delicious gingerbread cookies for years and sending them out as gifts. I love gingerbread and avoid gluten, so last year, I ordered new cookie cutters and was determined to make soft, gluten-free gingerbread people.
 
It started out fun; I compared recipes and tried to determine how to combine and substitute to get both characteristics. Ingredients were assembled on the counter and mixed with high hopes. After checking the batter, I decided to throw in a bit more baking soda, hoping to make them airier.

The dough was a sticky mess and clung to the cookie cutters. More dough was returned to the bowl than on the tray, but eventually I managed to get a tray full of characters for the oven. They smelled delicious. With mouthwatering anticipation, I checked their baking progress through the oven window .
They grew.
And grew.
They were the biggest gingerbread people I’ve ever seen. Puffy and BIG, about twice the size of the cutters and a bit misshapen from pushing into each other for space.
They made me giggle, so I had to call Melanie to share the story.  She laughed and admitted not all batches turn out the same.

Like writing stories.
​Some puff up and grow larger and some fall flat and are hard to finish (or wind up in the trash). But the ones that turn out make it all worthwhile. 

​Hope your holidays are warm and happy!​