Directions: |
Directions:Make the cookie dough: Place the sugar & butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined (you can also do this in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, just be careful so you don't overmix the dough).
Add the egg, molasses, vinegar and vanilla extract and beat on medium-low speed until fully combined.Finally, combine the dry ingredients and the gingerbread spices in a medium mixing bowl. Add to the molasses mix and beat on low speed just until combined into a soft cookie dough.
Chill the dough: Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. If you chill it overnight, you may need to let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes so it's easier to roll.
Cut out cookies: Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the dough in 2 and roll each half to 1/4 of an inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out cookies and place them on lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Place similarly sized cookies on the same baking sheet!
Bake the cookies: Once you have filled a baking sheet, place it in the oven to bake. Medium-sized cookies take 8-10 minutes to bake. Large gingerbread men take 12-14 minutes to bake. Smaller cookies take 6-8 minutes to bake. They should spring back when you slightly touch their surface, but make sure to not overbake them or they'll turn out tough. Cool the baked cookies on a baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
Baking Tips:
Creaming the butter and sugar together is a lot easier if you have very soft butter. Forgot to pull it out of the fridge? No worries, just rinse a bowl under hot water, then invert it and place it over the butter for a few minutes.
bowl with creamed brown sugar and butter Stand mixer works great.
Once you added the molasses, vanilla and egg, do not mix for longer than needed to fully combine the ingredients, or your cookies may turn out tough.
I prefer rolling the dough between two sheets of lightly floured baking parchment to keep my counters somewhat clean. And make sure you don't roll the dough thinner than 1/4 inch thickness, or your gingerbread won't turn out as soft as it should.
More Tips:
The same goes for the flour, too: If you mix too much, the gluten will start developing, yielding tough cookies again. Only mix until no more streaks of dry flour are visible.
Bake the same sizes of cookies together: If you make different sized cookies (for example some gingerbread men, some candy canes and some hearts) and they’re all different sizes, bake them in separate batches. Otherwise some cookies will be overbaked and tough while others will stay too soft.
Cookie yield: This recipe makes about 45-50 mid-sized cookies. It makes about 16 large gingerbread men.
Decorating Tips:
I usually just use a thick powdered sugar icing on these. I combine 2 cups powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, water or half-and-half.
Then I use a squeeze bottle to decorate the cookies with the icing (I just make more if we run out; but I start with a smaller amount in case we get tired of decorating). Feel free to use your favorite royal icing instead!
My kids enjoy sticking little sprinkles and things into the cookies instead.
Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before adding any icing or decorations. Let the cookies stand uncovered at room temperature overnight to let the icing set before packing them up.
And PS: About the decorating... It's really not one of my biggest skillsets. I majorly lack the patience for it, too. I just whip up a powdered sugar icing (or use store-bought royal icing, there I said it) and try to draw something remotely adorable on the cookies
How to store the gingerbread cookies:
Store the cooled gingerbread cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 weeks (they taste best within the first few days though). Decorated cookies last a little less in my experience.
Freezer Instructions:
To freeze the cookie dough: Wrap the finished gingerbread cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap, then label with the name and use-by date and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, thaw the dough overnight in the fridge (I recommend placing it on a plate to catch any water drips). Then roll, cut and bake as directed in the recipe.
To freeze the baked cookies: Freeze baked cookies before decorating them! Cool the cookies completely, then stack them in freezer-friendly containers, separating each layer with a piece of wax paper. Cover tightly with the lid, then label with the name and use-by date and freeze for up to 3 months.
To defrost, take out as many cookies as you need and thaw them on a wire rack on the counter for a couple of hours.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol |
This recipe for The Perfect Soft Gingerbread Cookies is from