I make a ton of cookies every year and have been doing so for years. I give them out as gifts or make them for special occasions. Consequently, I really don’t really eat them any more. Especially at Christmas, I make so many that I would rather eat anything but cookies. The one exception is gingerbread cookies. I only make them at Christmas because I hate to make anything that requires rolling or decorating. The rest of the year I just make do with substandard store bought cookies (I do like the Anna’s Ginger Thins, though). I used to decorate them with icing and candy, but I’m too lazy for that. I figure actually rolling dough is enough extra holiday effort.
These cookies are a bit spicier than the usual recipes so they may not be suitable for youngsters. Depending on how thin they are rolled and how long they are baked, they can be either soft or crispy. For soft, roll them thicker and bake them less, for crispy, the opposite.
SPICY GINGERBREAD MEN COOKIES
makes about 48 cookies (3 1/2″ x 4″)
6 cups flour
Spicy Gingerbread Man Cookie
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 teaspoons ground ginger
5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses
Cream butter and dark brown sugar with an electric mixer (this usually takes 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Add the molasses until blended.
Sift together all of the dry ingredients (the first 8). One cup at a time, add it to the butter mixture.
Chill the dough for about an hour.
On a floured surface roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes.
Place shapes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 – 10 min. Cool on a wire rack.
Gingerbread Men in Progress
Lifting Up Gingerbread Man Cookie
The dough sticks to the work surface less the colder it is. However, this makes it harder to roll out. I like to roll out a warmer dough. It really does stick to the counter though. I don’t like to over flour to work surface since this can change the texture/flavor of the cookie. What I came up with was using a silicone scraper to get the cookie off of the counter in one piece. The scraper was advertised to be used to scrape burnt bits off of a frying pan (works great for that by the way). I can’t remember where I bought it but it was about a buck. If you find one, buy it!
Kookie Palace 