Sweet and Spicy Gingerbread Cookies
Posted by Danielle Bean in Food on Monday, November 29, 2010 10:00 AM
How is your Advent going? Did you remember your candles on time this year? Did you dig the calendar out of the attic yet? Have you started baking?
Even if you avoid sweets during Advent (that sounds almost impossible to me, but some brave souls I know do it), these weeks are a great time to bake ahead and stock your freezer with some family favorites for Christmas celebrations.
This year we’ll be away for Christmas, so I am planning to bake and freeze some batches for enjoying during upcoming feasts (St. Nicholas, St. Ambrose, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucy ...) and throughout the Christmas season.
First on my list is this lovely gingerbread cookie recipe. It makes a big batch of the traditionally spicy cookies that taste delicious and hold their shapes well—perfect for decorating with cinnamon candies and royal icing.
Gingerbread Cut-Outs
6 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, until they are completely absorbed. Divide dough into 3 pieces, pat down to 1 1/2 inch thickness, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters (I plan to use this snowflake cutter in addition to gingerbread man cut-outs). Place cookies 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cookies are done, they will look dry, but still be soft to the touch. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks.
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