Gingerbread Birdhouse Ornaments

Darling, fragrant little ornaments you can hang from your tree or give as holiday gifts, assuming you can resist eating them first!

Makes 60 servings

Gingerbread and Decorations:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups full-flavor molasses
2/3 cup water
6 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Drinking straw
8 pretzel sticks, cut into 1-inch lengths
Powdered sugar
Betty Crocker green decorating icing
Betty Crocker Holiday D cor holly berry sprinkles
Gold string

Easy Creamy Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 to 5 tablespoons half-and-half
Food color, if desired

1. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses and cold water until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, allspice, cloves and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. On lightly floured surface, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Using knife or 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters, cut dough into squares or circles for bases of birdhouses, and into hearts for roofs.

3. Place heart shape upside down on top of square or circle, just overlapping. Using end of drinking straw, make hole in center of birdhouse base for door and at top of roof for hanging. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

4. Bake about 15 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched. While warm, insert pretzel stick just below door hole for perch. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely.

5. In medium bowl, mix 4 cups powdered sugar, the vanilla extract and enough half-and-half for desired spreading consistency. Tint with food color as desired. Frost tops of cookies (roofs) with frosting; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Decorate with decorating icing and sprinkles. Thread pieces of gold string through holes in tops of birdhouses; tie in knots to make hangers.

Nutrition Information: 1 Serving: Calories 130 (Calories from Fat 15); Total Fat 1 1/2g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 85mg; Total Carbohydrate 28g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 16g); Protein 1g

Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 2%; Iron 6%

Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable Carbohydrate Choices: 2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Betty Crocker 2007/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved