Gingerbread Cookies
I’m obviously late in posting this in time for Christmas—but, on the other hand, you’ve got plenty of time to think about making these wonderful gingerbread cookies for next Christmas!
It’s been many years since I last made gingerbread man cookies although I have made pepparkakor which are the Swedish version of ginger cookies several times over the years during the Christmas holidays. Since my little granddaughter was going to be coming for Christmas weekend, I knew I had to pull out the cookie cutters so that she could have her first ever gingerbread man.
Rather than make my old gingerbread cookie recipe, I decided to try a couple of new ones. Believe it or not, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I tried not one, not two, but three new recipes! Even though I made half recipes, hubby and I were drowning in gingerbread cookies. One of the three recipes was not worth the calories, and the birds and squirrels in our back yard had a feast. 🙂
As I was rolling out the third batch, I told hubby I was running out of steam and that I wasn’t going to bother rolling out any more of the dough and that I was just going to free form the cookies into oddball shapes. He volunteered to finish making them for me. Well, that sure ended up being interesting as he has quite the sense of humor. The next thing I knew I was looking at some anatomically correct gingerbread men! And, yes, before you ask, I baked them as is. I took photos of the finished product and sent them to my adult kids. That certainly generated a lot of laughs and funny comments!
Anyway, back to business here—the dough is easy to work with, bakes up in 7 to 10 minutes depending on how crisp you like them, and the flavor is not overly spicy which I prefer. If you really like your ginger cookies to have zing, I would add either a little more cloves or a touch of allspice. As for me, I’m not messing with success. I think they’re perfect as is and oh so good with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate!
Gingerbread Cookies
Fran’s Notes: I used a 5″ gingerbread man cookie cutter and got 15 cookies out of the batch.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tbl. ground ginger
- 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 6 tbl. unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (optional) – I did not use the zest.
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.
In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest (if using) and continue to mix until well blended.
Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic. The dough should be chilled until firm enough to handle, a minimum of 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375o F. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin. Roll dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick. Use additional flour to avoid sticking.
Cut out cookies with desired cutter—the gingerbread man is a favorite, of course!
Space cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7 to 10 minutes (obviously, the lower time will give you softer cookies). I baked my cookies for 7 minutes—they were very good. Hubby would have liked them a little crisper. The second time I made them, I baked them for 9 minutes, and we both liked them. So, bake them according to your preference—you really can’t go wrong either way.
Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like. You can make a royal icing to decorate; or, if you’re pressed for time, Wilton makes squeeze bottles of decorating icing in a variety of colors.
Source: A food.com recipe