Gingerbread Cookies

Deliciously spicey (but not overpowering), these cookies are nice and soft- my little nieces and nephews LOVE them! Don’t judge the decorating in the above picture, I was just trying to bust them out quickly because I had many family members waiting impatiently for them to be finished :)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours

Bake Time: 9 minutes

Yield: about 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup molasses

2 eggs

2  tablespoons fresh ginger root, zested

4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

¾  teaspoon baking soda

¾  teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground allspice

¾ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.        In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the molasses, eggs and ginger root.

3.        Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon; beat into the molasses mixture. Gradually stir in the remaining flour by hand to form a stiff dough.

4.        Chill for two hours.

5.        Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes and place cookies 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

6.        Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

7.        Once cool, use Royal Icing to decorate! ENJOY!!!

Tip: This recipe can me used for gingerbread houses too. The Royal Icing is also perfect to build and decorate your house- its very strong, dries quickly, and very tasty too!