Perfect Gingerbread Cookies

A staple in the Yuletide season, Gingerbread Cookies have been around for ages. No other Christmas concoction can take away the place of gingerbread cookies as the symbol for the holidays. There are many forms of Gingerbread: the house, the bread, and the cookie men. For now, we’ll take on the recipe for the Perfect Gingerbread Cookies.

 

The cookies can either be soft, crispy, or thick, depending on the method of cooking. Gingerbread cookies provide comfort and warmth during the holidays. Why not whip up some cookies of your own in your home? Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)

Directions:

1.       Grab a small bowl and whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well combined.

2.       Use a blender and in a large bowl (preferably KitchenAid’s large mixing bowl), beat down the butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.

3.       Add the molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest (optional) and continue to mix until everything’s well blended.

4.       Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until there are no dry patches left.

5.       Divide the dough in half and wrap them each in plastic. Let it stand in room temperature for up to 2-8 hours.

6.       Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

7.       Lay down baking sheets on large flat pans.

8.       Sprinkle flour over the surface where you will shape the dough.

9.       Roll over the dough until you have 1/4- inch thickness. Use additional flour once the dough starts to stick to the surface and rolling pin.

10.   Cut out the dough into cookie men form or any desired shapes.

11.   Once you’re done, place the cut-out cookies on the sheet and provide a 1 ½ space apart.

12.   Bake for 7-10 minutes

13.   Remove the cookies from the oven and let it stand until they are firm enough to be removed from the pan.

14.   After the cookies have cooled down, you can start decorating them.