Gingerbread Cookies!
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Adapted from Rick Rodgers' recipe (Christmas 101, Random House, 1999).
Author: My Delicious Blog
Recipe type: Cookies
Cuisine: Cookies
Serves: 36
Ingredients
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp. cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. allspice
- ½ tsp.ground cloves
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp.-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (depending on how spicy you like it!)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ c. shortening (I use Crisco), room temperature
- ½ c. brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- ⅔ c. molasses
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position racks to top third and bottom third of oven.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift dry ingredients into a small bowl.
- In another bowl, beat butter and shortening until creamy; add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy; add egg and molasses & mix to combine thoroughly.
- At low speed, slowly add in flour mixture. The dough will be stiff, so you may need to mix by hand.
- Divide dough into two balls. Flatten into disks then wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
- When ready to make the cookies, remove one disk from refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature until it's easy enough to handle.
- Place on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll dough to ¼" thick and cut out cookies.
- Transfer cookies to parchment-lined sheets, about 1" apart.
- Bake until edges are slightly brown, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on wire rack before decorating.
- Frost/decorate with Royal Icing recipe (see Notes).
Notes
Royal Icing:
4½ c. confectioner's sugar
2 Tb. dried egg-white powder (I prefer this over raw egg whites)
6 Tb. warm water
1. In a mixing bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the sugar, egg-white powder and water until well-combined.
2. Increase the speed to high and keep mixing until it's shiny, stiff and thick enough to pipe in a pastry bag. (The icing can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to put a damp paper towel over the mixture before sealing it.)
3. Add food coloring, if desired.
4. When ready to use, load up your pastry bag(s) and get creative!
4½ c. confectioner's sugar
2 Tb. dried egg-white powder (I prefer this over raw egg whites)
6 Tb. warm water
1. In a mixing bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the sugar, egg-white powder and water until well-combined.
2. Increase the speed to high and keep mixing until it's shiny, stiff and thick enough to pipe in a pastry bag. (The icing can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to put a damp paper towel over the mixture before sealing it.)
3. Add food coloring, if desired.
4. When ready to use, load up your pastry bag(s) and get creative!
Recipe by My Delicious Blog at https://www.mydeliciousblog.com/gingerbread-men/