Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
Sweet and spicy gingerbread cookies bring fun and flavor to your holiday baking. Make it a family event with group cookie decorating and then pass around a plate of gingery cookie treats. I found this recipe in a magazine many years ago and have never once considered replacing it. The recipe is that good!
Prep: 35 minutes
Chill: 1 hour to 24 hours
Roll & cut: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Bake: 8 to10 minutes
Bake at: 375°F
Yield: 22 large cookies
Pan: 2 baking sheets
Difficulty: intermediate
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 1/3 cups (261 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup (107 grams) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- Parchment paper or non-stick cooking spray
Directions
Making the Cookie Dough
- Bring the cookie dough ingredients to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the butter in a large bowl at medium speed until whipped, about 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and molasses with the mixer running and beat 1 minute more. Add the egg and beat until the yolk just disappears.
- Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture in 3 parts until fully incorporated. The dough will be stiff to stir, but soft and sticky to handle.
- Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic and chill until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)
Cutting Out the Cookies
- Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or prepare with non-stick cooking spray.
- Let the first dough disk warm on the counter until just malleable, about 3-5 minutes. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper or on a floured surface. If using the easier option of parchment paper, lightly flour the bottom sheet. Sprinkle a little flour across the top of the dough. Starting at the center of the disk, roll away from you, give the dough a quarter turn, and repeat. Continue in this fashion until the dough reaches 1/4-inch thickness, adding a little flour as you go to prevent sticking.
- Dip a large (4-5-inch) cutter in flour and then cut out shapes. Transfer the shapes to baking sheet, spacing the cookies 1-inch apart. If lining the baking sheet with parchment paper, place the cookies near the edge to prevent the paper from rolling over the cookie.
Baking the Cookies
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes at 375°F until just turning brown on the edges.
- Gather the dough scraps into a ball, flatten into a disk, and refrigerate.
- Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the second dough disk, form the dough scraps into a disk and refrigerate.
- Take out the leftover dough from the first disk, roll and cut out. Repeat with the leftover dough from the second disk. Take out the third disk and then the fourth as needed and repeat the process.
- Continue baking as each baking sheet fills.
- Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack. The cookies must be completely cool before decorating.
- Decorate the cookies with Royal Icing and have fun!
- Store the cookies for up to 4 days or freeze in tins between layers of wax paper for up to 3 weeks.
Tips
- You can cut out the cookies on a hard surface like the counter but expect the dough to stick.
- To make thin, crisp cookies, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness and bake for about 7 minutes.