Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup mild molasses
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Royal Icing, recipe follows
Directions
Combine butter, sugar, and molasses together in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in increments, and continue to beat until thoroughly mixed together.
Pour the dough out onto the countertop and divide into 4 pieces. Press each piece into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 1 to 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
Adjust the racks to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper.
Spread 2 large pieces of parchment paper out and very lightly flour them. Place a disk of dough between the parchment sheets and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining disks of dough. Rework all scraps into balls and re-chill before reusing. Repeat with all the dough.
Cut out cookies and place on the parchment-lined sheet trays with an offset spatula, leaving 1-inch between each cookie. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the sheet tray for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling to room temperature before decorating the cookies with Royal Icing.
Royal Icing:
- 2 egg whites
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar, whisked to remove lumps
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Add ingredients to a large bowl. Beat, using a hand mixer, until glossy and stiff, about 5 to 6 minutes. Place in icing bags with fine tips to decorate cookies.
Photo: Holiday Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

















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By cpaluszkiewicz_...
apex, 73
on January 21, 2013
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These cookies were tasty and I really liked the iceing, however, they tasted more like a rich sugar cookie to me rather than a gingerbread cookie.
By malloryg85
on December 31, 2012
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The dough was absolutely delicious and mildly spiced. I also loved the icing. However, I had an impossible time rolling out these cookies. The dough was very sticky at the beginning, but when I added more flour, they became too dry and fell apart. I ended up having to roll them into balls and flattening them out, which still made a fabulous cookie.
By basketball#51
on January 05, 2012
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These were delicious.This recipe was perfect! I put them in the oven right when they were turning that golden brown color and they were perfect. This is definitely one of the best gingerbread cookie recipes out there.
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