My mom has a cookies & cocoa party with the grandkids each year before Christmas. The last couple of years I've hosted my own cookies and cocoa party with some of my favorite little people in Doha. I generally make my favorite sugar cookies and this whipped frosting and then let the kiddos do their own decorating. This year there was a new addition: gingerbread sugar cookies.
I thought I didn't like gingerbread cookies, just like my sister who shared this recipe with me, because they tend to be crunchy. Cookies should not be crunchy, in my opinion. But these. I like these. They are soft and chewy and close to the texture of a sugar cookie, but with the yummy spiciness of gingerbread.
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar. Cream together until fluffy.
Add molasses and egg and continue mixing until the molasses is fully incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time until the dough comes together and the flour is fully incorporated.
Divide dough in half, form each part into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out dough and cut out using cookie cutters. Use flour as need to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and cookie cutters.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just start to darken.
Cool on a wire rack before decorating.
Source: Katie Neilson
