Classic Gingerbread
Every year, I am obsessed with gingerbread! So as a tradition, I make it for friends, loved ones, parties, etc! And this recipe specifically is a special one. Martha Stewart gingerbread was a staple in our household as kids. This gingerbread is super stable and flavourable at the same time, and over the years I’ve made a couple adjustments along the way so they come out absolutely perfect each time! So I’ll be enjoying my Christmas cookies this year, how bout you?
A gingerbread mug made from this recipe.
Ingredients:
Gingerbread Cookies:
5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
4 tsp ground ginger
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground pepper
1 ½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses
Icing:
2 egg whites
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Directions:
In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat unsalted butter with sugar until fully combined, add in eggs one at a time on low and all the spices: ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pepper & salt. Continue to mix until fully incorporated, occasionally scraping down the sides with a spatula.
Add in the molasses and mix on medium speed. The texture should be liquidy. With a sifter, sift in baking soda, baking powder and 1 cup of flour. Mix until it’s combined, and slowly sift in one cup at a time while mixing. The dough should start to become thick with more flour added.
Place the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF and roll out the dough on a clean, floured surface. Make sure the dough is flat enough to be between ⅛ inches to ¼ inches in height. Cut with fun christmas themed cookie cutter shapes, and carefully move the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet for the oven. Repeat the dough rolling with the excess dough until there is nothing left.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes rotating halfway through. Place them on a cooling rack.
Once the cookies are completely cooled you can decorate them using royal icing. The royal icing takes 2 hours to fully dry.
In an electric mixer with the beater attachment, whip egg whites until bubbles form. Slowly add in powdered sugar little bits at a time as well as lemon juice.
To create a more droopy texture, add in more lemon juice, and for a more stiff texture (like for gingerbread houses) add more powdered sugar.
Place icing in a piping bag with the tip cut off.