Description
Delicious homemade gingerbread cookies perfect for decorating.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour (or 1 cup each of all-purpose and whole wheat flour)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup (67g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (120mL) molasses (not blackstrap molasses)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4–6 teaspoons water
- small candies for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes at medium speed, until light and creamy. Add the molasses, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the flour mixture.
- Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350° F.
- Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough (it will be somewhat sticky) on a floured work surface to ¼-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut cookies into desired shapes. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about an inch apart. Re-roll scraps of dough until all dough has been used.
- Baking time will vary depending on the size of your cookies. Medium (3-inch) gingerbread cookies bake for 7-9 minutes, and mini cookies bake for about 5-7 minutes. Larger cookies will take longer to bake. Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To Decorate: Once cookies are cool, pipe icing onto cookies to decorate as desired. I use a piping bag and Wilton #2 piping tip to decorate these cookies. To make the icing, add the powdered sugar and vanilla to a medium bowl. Then stir in the water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing reaches your desired consistency. It should be fairly thick for piping onto the cookies. If it’s too thin, stir in a little more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, stir in a little more water.
Notes
- This dough can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Baking time may vary based on the thickness and size of the cookies.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg