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Our Best Gingerbread Cookie Recipe for Cut Outs

Do you love gingerbread cookies? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.  Sometimes gingerbread cookies are too spicy and sometimes they are just too crunchy.  It's not easy to find a well spiced gingerbread cookie dough that can be turned into cut out cookies without the cookies turning into shaped ginger snaps.  After some trial and error,  I think we have our new favorite gingerbread cookie recipe for cut outs.  The ginger isn't overpowering, and if not allowed to over bake, the cookies turn out a great deal softer than many rolled and cut, gingerbread cookie recipes we've tried.  It is also a plus that the kids love to decorate shaped gingerbread cookies!

We originally created this post in 2011 & the little girls decorated these cookies for that post!  We thought it was time to update that old post with some of our current tips and recommendations.  While these old pictures may not be the best quality--we chose to include them instead of new ones because the memories of that day are priceless!  This is a great recipe and the start of a fun, memorable, family tradition!

Ingredients for Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies
3 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour
1/2 c. Granulated Sugar
1 c. Molasses, Unsulphured (I use Grandma's Molasses)
2/3 c. Shortening
4 Tbsp. Butter, softened
1 large Egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger (I use Simply Organic or McCormick)
1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg (I use The Spice Hunter whole nutmeg & a Grinder)
1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves (I grind Frontier whole cloves)
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon (I use Simply Organic or McCormick)
3 tsp. Baking Soda

Extra Flour to stiffen dough, coat work space and to add to rolling pin and cookie cutters

Holiday Cookie Cutters:  Gingerbread men, trees, snowmen, stockings, etc. all make really cute decorative gingerbread cookies. 

Decorations:  Colored sprinkles, powdered sugar frosting, gold sugar, silver sugar, decorative candies




Instructions For Making Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies
 
Make gingerbread cookie dough. Combine dry ingredients, except the sugar, into a medium size mixing bowl.  Mix thoroughly to combine.  Add shortening, butter, molasses, the egg and sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix together until all ingredients are combined.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly until the flour mixture is incorporated

Make sure that the dough is a kneading consistency.  If the dough is too stiff or crumbly--add a milk by the teaspoonful until dough is easy to work with.  Alternatively, if dough is too soft, add flour by the tablespoon until the dough reaches a good texture for handling.

Divide the gingerbread dough and chill.  Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours.  

Prepare oven and cookie sheet.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with a strip of parchment paper.

Roll out gingerbread dough and cut into desired shapes.  Sprinkle flour over your work space, rub flour on your rolling pin and hands to prevent dough from sticking.  Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Dip shaped cookie cutters into flour and cut out the shapes from the dough.  Use a thin, floured spatula to lift cookies from the workspace and place on cookie sheet.

Bake, Cool, Decorate and Serve.  Bake 10-14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.  Let cool completely and frost and decorate as desired.  Our girls enjoy pressing sprinkles into the wet powdered sugar frosting "glue" to decorate trees and snowflakes.

Decorating Tip:  To make frosting easier to pipe for little hands, we use an old decorator set similar to this Kuhn Rikon Cookie Decorating Set.  The small, accordion style bottles are great for little kids to grip and squeeze with both hands to create fairly neat frosting outlines and dots

 
The girls and I are made our first gingerbread house back in 2011 as well.  This year, we have a Gingerbread Village Cooking Party in the works with their friends!

What are you building with gingerbread this year?

Happy Holidays!!
Yield: 24-36 Cutout Cookies

Our Best Gingerbread Cookie Cutout Recipe

Do you love gingerbread cookies? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Sometimes gingerbread cookies are too spicy and sometimes they are just too crunchy. It's not easy to find a well spiced gingerbread cookie dough that can be turned into cut out cookies without the cookies turning into shaped ginger snaps. After some trial and error, I think we have our new favorite gingerbread cookie recipe for cut outs.

ingredients

  • 3 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 c. Granulated Sugar
  • 1 c. Molasses, Unsulphured
  • 2/3 c. Shortening
  • 4 Tbsp. Butter, Softened
  • 1 Large Egg, Slightly Beaten
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
  • 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 3 tsp. Baking Soda
  • Extra Flour to stiffen dough, coat work space and to add to rolling pin and cookie cutters
  • Assortment of Holiday Cookie Cutters
  • Cookie Decorations:  colored sprinkles, powdered sugar frosting, colored sugars, decorative candies, raisins.

instructions

  1. Make gingerbread cookie dough. Combine dry ingredients, except the sugar, into a medium size mixing bowl.  Mix thoroughly to combine.  Add shortening, butter, molasses, the egg and sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix together until all ingredients are combined.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly until the flour mixture is incorporated
  2. Make sure that the dough is a kneading consistency.  If the dough is too stiff or crumbly--add a milk by the teaspoonful until dough is easy to work with.  Alternatively, if dough is too soft, add flour by the tablespoon until the dough reaches a good texture for handling.
  3. Divide the gingerbread dough and chill.  Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours. 
  4. Prepare oven and cookie sheet.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with a strip of parchment paper.
  5. Roll out gingerbread dough and cut into desired shapes.  Sprinkle flour over your work space, rub flour on your rolling pin and hands to prevent dough from sticking.  Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Dip shaped cookie cutters into flour and cut out the shapes from the dough.  Use a thin, floured spatula to lift cookies from the workspace and place on cookie sheet.
  6. Bake, Cool, Decorate and Serve.  Bake 10-14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.  Let cool completely and frost and decorate as desired.  Our girls enjoy pressing sprinkles into the wet powdered sugar frosting "glue" to decorate trees and snowflakes.

notes

Decorating Tip:  To make frosting easier to pipe for little hands, we use an old decorator set similar to this Kuhn Rikon Cookie Decorating Set.  The small, accordion style bottles are great for little kids to grip and squeeze with both hands to create fairly neat frosting outlines and dots.
Created using The Recipes Generator

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3 Comments

  1. This sounds wonderful I love a good gingerbread cookie!
    I am now following your blog and twitter. I also voted for you on the picket fence blogs. Would you call that a Triple Play? lol Thanks for the follow and comment on my blog. http://www.easy2save.blogspot.com

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  2. yum...we love gingerbread cookies in this house...and making a gingerbread house it a fun tadition too..have fun!

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  3. Liked this so much, I featured it on this week's Mom's Library Link-Up! Hop over and grab a I've been Featured on Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk button to proudly display!
    Looking forward to see what you've been up to this week!

    Julie @ Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk
    www.heymommychocolatemilk.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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