While a gingerbread house might be the centerpiece of your holiday table—gingerbread cookies are what you’ll really want to eat. Treat the family (and yourself!) to something extra-special with a batch of fresh-baked gingerbread cookies. And don’t forget to decorate these spicy cuties! Grab some royal icing, sprinkles and edible markers to make your creations stand out on the dessert table.
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Vanilla frosting of choice
- Red paste food coloring
DIRECTIONS
- Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; shape each into a disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate, covered, until firm enough to roll, 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut 60 gingerbread men using a floured 3-1/2-in. cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. If desired, cut sixty 1-1/4-in. triangles for hats; attach to gingerbread cutouts, pressing edges to seal. If desired, cut sixty 1/4-in. circles; attach to hats for pompoms.
- Bake cookies until edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
- Tint some of the frosting red; use red frosting for hats and buttons. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry bag or heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; insert #3 round pastry tip. Fill bag with white frosting; pipe faces and trim on hands and feet. Using a #16 star pastry tip, pipe decorations on hats.
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