Nothing smells more like the holidays than a great gingerbread cookie recipe, it simply fills the air with all of the warm and delicious, spicy fragrances of the holiday season. What better type of cookie to give in your gift baskets this holiday season than these delicious, spicy little gingerbread cookies?
This recipe makes approximately 24 cookies, depending on the size.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 extra large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
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1. With an electric mixer in a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and the egg on medium speed until well combined.
2. Add the vanilla and molasses to the sugar and butter mixture. Continue blending until thoroughly combined.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Whisk the ingredients together to ensure that all ingredients are evenly distributed.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring after each addition.
5. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half thoroughly in plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
7. Place one half of the divided dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/4″ . Flour the work surface and rolling pin as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking.
8. Cut out the desired shapes with cookie cutters.
9. Place the cookie cut-out approximately 1 1/2″ apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
10. Bake one sheet of cookie at a time for 7 to 9 minutes. It is important to not overbake the cookies. They may seem slightly soft when they are initially removed from the oven, but will become firmer as they cool.
11. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet until they are firm enough to move to a wire cooling rack. Once the gingerbread cookies are completely cooled, they can be decorated with frosting, candies, or colored sugar.
These are delicious, spicy, holiday cookies that everyone will love. Your kids will also enjoy decorating these gingerbread cookies with you. These cookies are nearly as fun to make as they are to eat.
