Do you decorate gingerbread men before bake them or after?

Here's why:

* The icing won't stick to raw dough. The icing needs a firm, baked surface to adhere to properly.

* The gingerbread will be too soft to handle. Decorating before baking would make the dough too fragile and difficult to work with.

* Baking helps the gingerbread crisp up. This makes it easier to decorate and prevents the icing from sinking into the dough.

Let the gingerbread men cool completely before decorating for the best results.