Around the holidays, few treats are as iconic as gingerbread cookies. Whether it’s in cookie form or a decorated house, these fragrant and comforting cookies have been a holiday favorite for centuries. Here is an easy-to-follow recipe for making your own delicious gingerbread cookies.
Making the Dough
To make the dough, you will need 3 and 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of ground ginger, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Sift these together and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine 3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature), 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and one large egg until light and fluffy. Mix in the sifted ingredients from earlier along with 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses, 1 and a half teaspoons vanilla extract (optional) and zest from one small orange (optional). Once all wet ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together by hand or electric mixer, divide dough into two equal parts before covering them in plastic wrap. Place them in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight until they are firm enough to roll out.
Rolling out & Cutting Dough
Preheat oven to 350F degrees before rolling out dough on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin until it reaches about ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutter shapes to cut out desired shapes before placing them onto parchment paper lined baking sheet pans at least an inch apart from each other. Bake at 350F degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges become slightly golden brown in color. Allow cookies to cool slightly before removing them onto cooling racks for further cooling. Decorate as desired with simple icing (see below), red hots candy pieces sprinkled on top, colored sprinkles etc., if desired!
Simple Icing Recipe
To make simple icing mix 2 cups powdered sugar with 2 - 3 tablespoons milk along with ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract in medium-sized bowl until smooth enough to drizzle over cooled cookies easily with spoon or pastry bag fitted with small tip attachment. Enjoy!
With this easy recipe for gingerbread cookies you can create your own delicious holiday tradition that everyone will love! If you want to take it up a notch try decorating your gingerbread creations with homemade icing or festive sprinkles. Enjoy!