‘Tis the season of pine trees and twinkly lights and spending Sundays inside baking gingerbread cookies
as the snow swirls outside of your window. Baking gingerbread cookies is one of the best parts of the
holiday season for so many reasons: it’s a fun way to bring the family together and get creative, and the
smell of ginger, cinnamon and molasses filling your house is a great bonus. Gingerbread cookies are
some of the easiest Christmas cookies to make: the dough is forgiving and easy to roll out – which
means little hands can get in there and cut their favourite shapes too! Decorating them is the best part –
get creative with colours, sprinkles and buttons (and don’t forget to eat a few along the way!).
Gingerbread Cookies
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon & levelled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the
butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown
sugar and molasses and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy-looking. Scrape
down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed
for 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. - In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves
together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The
cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough in half and place each onto a
large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Chill for 3
hours. - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone
baking mats. - Remove one disc from the fridge and unwrap. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your
hands and the rolling pin – don’t be afraid to use enough flour – the dough will be sticky! Roll to
¼ inch thick, and using your favourite cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Re-roll scraps as many times
as needed. - Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, decorate as desired.
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Contributor
Aleshia Pinto is a food blogger and carb enthusiast, who creates recipes aimed at bringing people together. Her blog, less with bread, is a collection of traditional and non traditional Italian recipes inspired by the seasons and current cravings. On any given day, she can be found planning her next dinner series or daydreaming about pasta!
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