The Best Gingerbread Cookies
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 30 servings
- Calories
- 174
- Total Fat
- 3
- Saturated Fat
- 2
- Carbohydrates
- 35
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 24
- Protein
- 2
- Cholesterol
- 12
- Sodium
- 107
- Total: 3 hr (includes chilling time)
- Active: 1 hr
Ingredients
Cookies:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook's Note)
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening, melted
2/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
Royal Icing:
1 pound confectioners' sugar (3 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons meringue powder
Food coloring, if desired
Directions
- For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves in a large bowl.
- Mix the butter, shortening, brown sugar and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the egg. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in four additions, making sure each batch is completely incorporated before adding the next. Divide the dough in half, wrap each piece in plastic and pat to 1/2-inch thick. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to 1/4-inch thick, dusting with flour if needed. Cut into 3- to 5-inch cookies with a gingerbread man cutter or desired shape. Brush off the excess flour and refrigerate on a baking sheet for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
- Bake the cookies in batches until they are golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- For the royal icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar with the meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in 6 tablespoons of water until well combined and you have stiff glossy peaks, adding 1 tablespoon more water at a time to reach a smooth pipeable consistency. Mix in food coloring as desired. Fill pastry bags fitted with tips. Decorate the gingerbread cookies with the icing.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)