Gingerbread Cookies
No holiday cookie season is complete without a classic like these Gingerbread Cookies. In my opinion they’re a must and are the epitome of what the holidays are all about. Warmth, spice, comforting, cookies. Need I say more? You can cut them out in classic gingerbread men shapes or use “non-traditional” cookie cutters as well. Nothing is off limits here.
Gingerbread Cookies
Celebrate the holiday baking season with these classic Gingerbread Cookies. They're fun to make and super tasty.
Servings: 30 cookies
Equipment
- Mixer or hand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Baking sheets
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutters
- Piping bags and tips
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup molasses
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 teaspoon dark rum or vanilla extract
For the Royal Icing:
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 3 to 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and vegetable shortening. Add the brown sugar and mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and stir well until completely combined. Mix in the molasses, lemon zest and rum. Add the dry ingredients, in parts, and stir until the dough comes together. It should be firm and slightly sticky to the touch. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half, tightly, with plastic wrap forming them into disks. Place in the fridge and allow to chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. It can be made up to three days in advance.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Working with one dough disk at a time—keeping the second disk in the fridge—roll it out onto a lightly floured work surface. The thicker you roll out the dough, the chewier the cookies will be. And the thinner you roll it out, the crispier they will get. You can decide how to roll it, depending on your taste for gingerbread. Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheets, lined with parchment paper. Space them out evenly, leaving enough space for spreading. They won’t spread too much, but you don’t want to crowd them so that they end up baking together. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Remove the sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the pan. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and allow to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Whisk together the icing ingredients until completely smooth. If you want a thicker icing, add less water. If your icing is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. Pour the icing into a piping bag, fitted with a small round tip, or into a food storage bag with the end cut off. Decorate the cookies as you wish. Allow to set for a few minutes, and then just devour them. Go all in and eat as many as you can. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. What leftover though? Will keep for up to a week at room temperature. Enjoy!
