Spiced Gingerbread cookies
Rich with flavors of ginger and warm spices, these cookies aren’t simply aromatic, but make for great memories as well!
Gingerbread cookies are the quintessential holiday snack. Crispy on the outside with a semi-soft inside, these pockets of joy are a seasonal favorite that taste sweet with the hint of warm spices that bring on the holiday cheer.
Even though the taste of molasses is front and center, these cookies also pack flavor from cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg ginger and black pepper. They are slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside (unless you forget to turn on the timer like me and end up with a crunchier texture akin to ginger snaps).
Here are a few tips to make great tasting gingerbread cookies with the right texture. The high levels of sticky sugars make the dough difficult to work with. Bringing the butter to room temperature, resting the dough and chilling it can help deal with this. Also make sure to dust the working space and the rolling pin liberally with flour. Bake the cut out gingerbread shapes while they’re still cool to prevent the cookies from spreading. My advice is to work with one piece of rolled-out dough at a time. After rolling out the chilled dough, cut into shapes quickly and bake right away. If needed, you may place the figures in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake.
Spiced Gingerbread cookies
Spiced Gingerbread cookies
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, paprika/black pepper, allspice and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Turn the mixer to low and mix in the molasses and egg.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and continue mixing until well combined.
Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, until the dough is easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Divide the dough in half and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll each half of the dough to 1/4" thickness adding flour as needed. As the dough is very sticky, use flour liberally to prevent dough from sticking to the surface.
Using cookie cutters, cut dough into shapes and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, approximately one inch apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes. After taking out of the oven, leave the cookies on the baking sheets to cool down for a minute. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool them down further.
To make the icing: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the water and meringue powder on medium-high until a slight foam forms. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until the icing becomes light and airy, in about 2 minutes. If the icing is too thick, add a small amount of water and stir until desired consistency is reached. If the icing is too thin, add a small amount of powdered sugar and stir until desired consistency is reached.
Decorate the cooled cookies using a piping bag filled with the icing. Let the icing set. Enjoy the cookies!
Thank you for trying this with me!
I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #ttwmblog and I’ll be sure to find it.
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, paprika/black pepper, allspice and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Turn the mixer to low and mix in the molasses and egg.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and continue mixing until well combined.
Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, until the dough is easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Divide the dough in half and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll each half of the dough to 1/4" thickness adding flour as needed. As the dough is very sticky, use flour liberally to prevent dough from sticking to the surface.
Using cookie cutters, cut dough into shapes and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, approximately one inch apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes. After taking out of the oven, leave the cookies on the baking sheets to cool down for a minute. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool them down further.
To make the icing: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the water and meringue powder on medium-high until a slight foam forms. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until the icing becomes light and airy, in about 2 minutes. If the icing is too thick, add a small amount of water and stir until desired consistency is reached. If the icing is too thin, add a small amount of powdered sugar and stir until desired consistency is reached.
Decorate the cooled cookies using a piping bag filled with the icing. Let the icing set. Enjoy the cookies!