Makes: 24-40 cookies (depending on size of cookie cutters)
Ingredients:
3C flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
.75 tsp baking soda
.25 tsp salt
1.5 tbsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
.25 tsp ground cloves
6 tbsp softened unsalted butter
.75C dark brown sugar
1 egg
.5 C fancy molasses
1 tsp vanilla
Instructions:
- Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium sized bowl
-cream butter, sugar and egg in a large bowl until mixture is blended. Add in molasses an vanilla and mix until well blended.
- stir flour mix into wet mixture gradually until dough is formed and well mixed.
- wrap dough in plastic wrap and let sit for a few hours (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP).
-When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat oven to 375F. Cut dough in half and place onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Pat flat with hands and sprinkle very lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Roll dough into flat sheet about .25" thick. This will yield slightly chewier cookies. If you like yours more biscuit-y, roll the dough a bit thinner, about 3-4mm. Try and make sure dough is even thickness throughout.
- Cut into desired shapes and transplant onto baking sheet (use parchment paper to line, or use silicone liner), space about one inch apart
- Gather up scraps and reform into dough. Roll and repeat until all dough is used up.
- Bake for 7-10min, depending on thickness and desired softness,
- Remove cookies from oven and let cool for 5min before transferring with spatula to to wire cooling rack.
- let cool fully before decorating.
Speaking of decorating, here's a dirt easy royal icing recipe. FYI, this will only yield enough icing to use for pipework/doodle decorating, not if you are planning to flood the full cookie! Scale according to your cookie decorating vision.
**Royal Icing**
Ingredients: 1 egg white 1 C icing sugar .25tsp lemon extract
Instructions: - Mix egg white using high speed setting on electric mixer or kitchenaid stand mixer until white and foamy - Add in icing sugar gradually to avoid being "snowed" on until smooth and a little shiny - Add lemon extract and mix on high until thickened. If you've never made royal icing before, it should have the consistency of yogurt. - fill into a piping bag or use a sandwich sized ziploc bag with a SMALL hole cut into the corner and decorate away! Keep any unused icing covered to avoid drying out. Let cookies fully dry to avoid the icing smudging before set (at least 30min)
