Gingerbread Teddy Bears

Directions

In a saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.

Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Pour into large mixing bowl; cool 5 minutes.

Sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda.

Add egg and vanilla to butter mixture; mix well.

Add flour mixture; beat til well mixed.

Divide dough in half, cover and chill 2 hours or overnight.

For each bear, shape dough into one 1-inch ball, one ¾ inch ball, six ½-inch balls and one ¼ inch ball.

On ungreased cookie sheet flatten the 1-inch ball to ½ inch thickness for body.

Attach the ¾ inch ball for head and flatten to ½ inch thickness.

Attach the ½-inch balls for arms, legs and ears.

Attach the ¼ inch ball for nose.

Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 8 to 10 minutes, cool and decorate.

Roll the nose ball to make it more oval in shape and place it on the LOWER half of the bear's face.

These can be decorated with any icing-- I use tinted Royal icing made from meringue powder to add eyes, nose and bow tie to each bear.

For Easter, make these into bunnies. Use only light corn syrup, no molasses.

Substitute white sugar for the brown sugar.

Omit spices and add a bit of almond extract if desired.

Make them the same way, but make two long ears on the top and two cheek-balls instead of the nose-ball.

Decorate with pastel icings.