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Saturday, January 8, 2011

Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

The Christmas season has come and gone, but this doesn't mean that gingerbread season is over. Oh no, it's just begun. This gingerbread recipe, the same one used to make the gingerbread Hogwarts castle, is perfect for making iced cookies. The cookies are smooth and sturdy but are still chewy, the perfect canvas for whatever creation you have in mind. Thank you once again, Martha Stewart.


I got a bit carried away with the royal icing, dragées, and sanding sugars on this batch, but the cookie cutouts were begging me to bring these little treats to technicolor life.

And the googly-eyed reindeer can't help but make you smile :)

These cookies pair perfectly with a warm cup of tea or hot cocoa. When your own roof is snow-covered, you can snuggle up inside and enjoy a winter wonderland with out the wind chill.


Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

yields about 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unsulfured molasses

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Divide dough into 3 portions, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F. On a generously floured piece of parchment, roll dough to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour. Slide dough and parchment onto baking sheets, and freeze for 15 minutes.
Cut out desired shapes. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, and freeze for 15 minutes.

Bake cookies for 6 minutes. Remove sheets from oven, and tap them firmly on counter to flatten cookies. Return to oven, rotating sheets, and bake until crisp but not darkened, 6 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.


Decorate to your heart's content.

12 comments:

  1. I love those cookie and house shapes! The mouse is adorable. Did you use purchased cutters or did you make your own?

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  2. So cute! These cookies are absolutely adorable, especially those moose! :)

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  3. The cutters are from the Waterford Fair in Virginia. The tinsmith doesn't sell online (YET!) but she takes email orders. Her name is Betsy Cukla and her email address is hammersongtin@aol.com. She lives in Wisconsin. They're my favorites :)

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  4. These cookies are adorable! I especially love the reindeer :)

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  5. these are the CUTEST cookies ever!!!!

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  6. These are totally adorable! And I love the Waterford Fair in VA (are you from that area?). I will definitely have to keep a look out for those next time I go.

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  7. Yes, you should! I am from Silver Spring, MD but am now living in Tucson, AZ :)

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  8. You are so talented with the decorating, congrats Meg, things are looking great!

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  9. Wonderful pictures. Would love for you to share your pictures with us over at foodepix.com.

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  10. how pricey are those cutters? are they sturdy? are they copper or stainless steel

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