Gingerbread Cookies

Author: Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, via Epicurious

Recipe type: Baked goods, dessert

Makes: 4-6 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter

• ¾ cup (185 mL) golden brown sugar or brown sugar

• ½ cup (125 mL) light molasses

• 1 egg

• ½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla

• 3½ cups (875 mL) all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp (10 mL) ground ginger

• 1½ tsp (7 mL) ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

• 2 mL (½ tsp) salt

• 2 mL (½ tsp) ground allspice

• 2 mL (½ tsp) ground nutmeg

• 2 mL (½ tsp) dry mustard

• 1 mL (¼ tsp) ground cloves

Instructions

1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together, about 3 min. Add molasses, beat until fluffy, about 2 min. Add egg, beat until well blended, about 1 min. Reduce speed to low, beat in vanilla. Sift in dry ingredients, beat on low speed just to blend.

2. Gather dough into a ball and divide in half. Form each half into a ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

3. Position rack in centre of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough between two sheets of waxed paper to ⅛” – ¼” (⅓ – ½ cm) thickness for smaller and larger cookies, respectively. Space cookies 1″ (about 2.5 cm) apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 (for smaller, thinner cookies) – 12 (for larger, thicker cookies) min, until firm on top and slightly darker around edges. Cool completely on rack before decorating with Royal Icing.