Gingerbread Cookies

Shopping List

3/4 cups unsalted butter (this is better at room temperature if you think ahead enough which half the time I don’t….)

1 large egg (also room temperature)

3/4 cup light brown sugar (or white sugar and a bit of molasses if you’re out of brown sugar)

1/3 cup molasses (yes of top of the theoretical molasses you used above

2 TEA spoons vanilla extract

2 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 TEA spoon baking SODA

1/4 TEA spoon baking POWDER

2 TEA spoon cinamon

2 TEA spoon ground ginger

1 TEA spoon cloves(I’m a spicy weirdo who LOVES cloves, if you think it can be strong half this)

1/4 TEA spoon nutmeg

1 TEA spoon salt

You’ll also need

two medium-ish bowls

A mixer

spatula

cookie sheet

rolling pin

parchment paper (optional)

cookie cutters(also optional)

1.Turn oven to 350 F (176.67 C according to google)

2. You can either A)butter a cookie sheet then spread flour on it or B)lay parchment paper on the cookie sheet

3. Beat the 3/4 cups unsalted butter and 3/4 cup light brown sugar(or your sugar and 1 to 2 TABLE spoons molassas) for about 2 minutes with a mixer at low speed ( Till it’s fluffy)

This is what the sugar ang butter look like after 2 minutes of beating with a mixer at low speed

4. Add 1/3 cup molasses and 2 TEA spoons (the small one!) vanilla extract and mix it up until combined well.

5. Add 1 egg( at room temperature) mix until incorporated.

do as the cat do. relax you’re making cookies :-) You’re doing great!

6. In your 2nd bowl mix in (sift it, if you want to go the extra step) mix in your dry ingredients. 2 and 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 TEA spoon baking SODA, 1/4 TEA spoon baking POWDER, 2 TEA spoons cinnamon, 2 TEA spoons ground ginger, 1 TEA spoon cloves( I really like clove, if they are strong for you use 1/2 a tea spoon), 1/4 TEA spoon nutmeg and 1 TEA spoon salt.

7. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well, add the next 1/3, mix and add the last 1/3, mix

This is what is looks like right after all the dry dry ingredients are mixed in, if you’re going to roll it out to cut out shapes work the dough ball for a bit. Just long enough to smooth it out. Maybe sprinkle some flour on it and you’re rolling into a large ball.

Smooth enough gingerbread dough ball for rolling out to cut out shapes

8. Here you have a choice; you can either scoop them into balls on the the greased cookie sheet or you can cut out patterns.

A)For balls use a medium cookie scoop and plop those suckers on the cookie sheet, give them some space to expand but they don’t need too much

B)For shapes roll out the dough, I roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick. Use plenty of flour to coat the dough and your rolling pin. Cut out the shapes and put them on the cookie sheet. (give them a bit of room to expand but you don’t need much; Also This is a little easier if the dough is chilled but I got it too work without chilling it.

If the cookie isn’t lifting away from the rest of the rolled out dough, sprinkle a spatula with some flour and use it to life up your shape.

Gingerbread cookies don’t have to be christmas themed….here’s a unicorn!

Here’s a dinosaur!

9. bake for 10-12 minutes. SET YOUR TIMER! Less time =chewier cookies, more time = crunchy cookies. Too much time = burnt cookies. (They will bake for a couple more minutes on their own after you pull them out of the oven)

10. Let them cool before you try and ice them….or just eat them plain :-)