Frosty the Gingerbread Man.

I'm a religious reader of Serious Eats, a little bedtime reading if you could call it that and absolutely love that they have put up recipes for the Great Cookie Swap just in time for some Christmas baking. This will be the first of a few attempts to recreate the yummy-ness that is the Cookie Swap.

I'm an addict - hopelessly addicted to the smell of something baking in the oven, the delicious combination of butter and sugar, chocolate and spices. I've been on a bit of a baking spree lately, not just because I constantly need a break from studying but also because I have an overwhelming need to fill the house with the smell of Christmas.

When I saw the recipe for Spicy Gingerbread Cut-outs on the Serious Eats, I knew I had to make a batch because really, what's Christmas without some gingerbread?

I tweaked the recipe very slightly by using honey instead of molasses (1/4 cup honey as a substitute for 1/2 cup molasses) simply because I didn't have any. Honey works perfectly with the recipe, changing only the colour and texture of the end product very slightly. I also decided to top the cookies of with some nuts.

The end result - a lovely spicy, salty, chewy cookie from what is probably one of my favourite baking recipes so far.

Ginger, cinnamon and spices - it's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.