Today I’m sharing another favorite seasonal tradition Glor and I have. We love baking together and every year we make gingerbread cookies. Normally we begin in mid November but this year the days just flew by. We decided to make a batch just in time to enjoy sitting by the fire with a hot cup of cocoa. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to make them too.
At first glance the recipe seems incredibly busy but honestly, it isn’t. Chances are you already have the ingredients in your kitchen. It seems like a lot of things to make silly cookies but these are sooo good when done! The slight touch of citrus is the secret ingredient you can’t miss out on! Also, Glor and I save time decorating the cookies by using ready made frosting in tubes. You can find them pretty much everywhere and the colors are endless.
Gingerbread Cookies
- 1½ sticks of butter, softened
- 1⅔ cups sugar
- 1 orange zested
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling, if needed
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ground dry ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 eggs, at room temp
- ½ cup dark molasses
- juice of 1 lemon
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, add the butter, sugar and orange zest and beat until smooth, 5 to 8 minutes.
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Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour and all dry ingredients through salt. Whisk to blend and set aside.
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In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, molasses and lemon juice.
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When the butter and sugar are integrated, lower the speed and add the dry ingredients. Then add the egg mixture until well blended. Divide the cookie dough in half. Press the first half of dough into a flat round and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 15 minutes. Repeat with the second half.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Lightly flour a flat surface and rolling pin. Gently roll out the first half of the dough about 1/2-inch thick. Lightly flour the cookie cutters and cut the shapes, making as few scraps as possible. Use a metal spatula to gently transfer them to cookie sheet. (These cookies can spread a little so make sure to leave room between them when placing on cookie sheet.) Bake until brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
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Repeat with the other half of the dough.
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We decorated our cookies with ready made frosting tubes.
