Dough for Gingerbread Cookies
This recipe produces cookies with a sturdy yet tender texture, perfect for all your festive shapes and designs. With this reliable dough, you can get creative with confidence, knowing your cookies will bake evenly without any unexpected spreading.
Equipment
- 2 Cookie Sheet Pans Lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper
- 1 Hand Mixer or
- Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
- Cookie cutters
Ingredients
Gingerbread cookie dough
- ⅔ Cup Unsalted butter softened
- ¾ Cup Brown sugar light or dark
- ⅔ Cup Dark Molasses use unsulfured molasses
- 1 Large Egg room temperature
- 3 ½ Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Gingerbread cookie dough
- Whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Sift flour through a fine mesh sieve if necessary to remove any lumps. Set aside.
- Place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (note - a hand-mixer may be used).
- Mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
- Add molasses to mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- Add egg to mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until combined, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Add dry ingredients (flour, spices, etc...) to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until well combined.
- Note: if dough appears crumbly, gently knead with your hands until it comes together.
- Divide dough in half and form into two flattened discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for 2 hours or until fully chilled.
Rolling dough and baking
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 177℃
- Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Generously flour a work surface. Continue to add more flour if dough starts to stick when rolling out.
- Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator at a time. Roll the dough into a sheet until it is slightly less than ¼ inch thick.
- Using your choice of cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes and place them on baking sheets. Continue rolling out the dough and cutting shapes until all the dough is used up.
- Bake cookies that are approximately 3 inches in size for 8 to 10 minutes. For larger cookies, bake a few minutes longer, and for smaller cookies, bake a few minutes less.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate as desired.
Notes
- If the dough cracks, it may be too cold. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling. You can also knead it lightly to warm it up slightly.
- If dough becomes sticky, place it back in your refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill it slightly.
- Place cookies in an airtight container or tightly-sealed cookie tin, separating layers with parchment or wax paper. They can stay fresh this way for up to two weeks. Alternatively, wrap undecorated cookies well and freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 124kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 65mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 112IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
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