Spiced Gingerbread Women and Men Recipe

Whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking powder and soda, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and pepper; set aside.

In food processor, whirl crystallized ginger until finely minced and almost paste. Transfer to bowl of stand mixer (or large bowl, if using hand mixer); beat in butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in egg and salt; beat in molasses. On low speed, beat in flour mixture until smooth.

Transfer to work surface and knead into ball; divide in half and flatten into discs. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 4 weeks. Bring to room temperature.)

One at a time, between sheets of parchment paper, roll each disc to scant 1/4-inch/5 mm thickness; with cookie cutters, cut out. Remove scraps to knead and reroll; leaving cookies on parchment paper, transfer to rimless baking sheets. Brush with milk.

One sheet at a time, bake in centre of 350F/180C oven until deep brown, about 13 to 15 minutes; transfer to rack. Let cool on pans on racks. (Make-ahead: Store in airtight container for up to 4 weeks.)

Makes twenty 5-inch (12 cm) cookies.