My Famous Gingerbread

Although I found the original recipe on line a couple of years ago this is my own version, with my usual annoyingly detailed instructions. Also with tons of extra spice. Really, these are fabulous cookies worth all the effort if you love old-fashioned gingerbread. Or just a good excuse to use those cute cookie cutters you have been saving forever. I do and I have.  These cookies also pair well with adult beverages. Can you say eggnog? 

To begin you will need:

               1 cup (two sticks) of butter

               1 large egg

               ½ cup molasses

Pull these out several hours in advance to get them to room temperature. I cut the butter in pieces so it will really soften.

Use the time while the butter is softening to measure out the dry ingredients.

In a good size bowl mix:

               ½ cup white sugar

               ½ cup brown sugar

Once the butter is ready you will be mixing the dough in this bowl, so make sure it’s big enough.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients:

               3 ¼ cups flour

               1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

               ½ teaspoon salt

               1 tablespoon cinnamon

               1 tablespoon ginger

               2 teaspoons cloves

REALLY stir these together. This is a ton of spices and they need to be thoroughly mixed in. Set aside to be added later to the butter mixture.

Once the butter is ready (good and soft), cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. This usually takes 7 to 10 minutes. Once that is done mix in the egg and the molasses. Now you are ready for the flour mixture. 

Add the flour gradually. I beat in about a quarter of it each time. The dough will get very stiff. At the end you may have to knead it to get all the floor in. Once it is all combined separate the dough in two and form disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. This is essential because if you try to roll right away you will have a mess on your hands. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a lightly floured surface for rolling. Let the first disk sit for five minutes before starting to roll. I rolled about ¼ inch thick. Dip each cookie cutter in a little four for each cut. Voila! 

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Just until edges are set. These cookies won’t brown because they already are brown! Also Very Important. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet after pulling from oven about two minutes, then move to rack. Don’t move them to the rack the moment they come out of the oven. And don’t let them totally cool on the pan either. It changes the texture. Go figure. 

If your household is small this year, you can freeze the second disk for future use. Or give it to a friend! Then they can have their own cutout fun! And seriously these little guys are great with a glass of milk or eggnog. Bourbon is optional.