Description
Deliciously spiced gingerbread cookies perfect for decorating during the holiday season.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (227g) salted butter
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
- 1 cup (340g) molasses
- 1 large egg
- 5 cups (705g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- 2–3 tablespoons water (room temperature)
- Pinch of salt
- Gel or liquid food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes until creamy and smooth.
- Add the molasses and egg and mix again to combine, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Mix until completely combined.
- Transfer the gingerbread cookie dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Wrap it up tightly in the plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the gingerbread cookie dough on a floured surface to about 1/4″ thickness.
- Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
- Carefully transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each cookie.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until they just start to look set. Let cool for 5-10 minutes on the pan before transferring to wire cooling racks to cool completely.
- Frost or decorate when cool with royal icing.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth.
- Pipe decorations on the cooled gingerbread cookies and let them sit out for 3-4 hours for the icing to harden before storing in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Be generous with flour while rolling out the dough to prevent sticking.
- If the icing is too thick, whisk in additional water to reach the desired consistency.
- If the icing is too runny, whisk in more powdered sugar until thickened.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg