Christmas time is truly the most magical time of the year!
Lights seem more twinkly, houses get cozier, even cookies seem to come alive!
Well maybe not all cookies come alive, but these gingerbread cookies sure do!
Gingerbread cookies are a classic around Christmas time and I totally get why. They're fun to make, full of flavor, and totally adorable.
I love all the spices that go into this, so I add a ton in here! If you want yours to be a little less spicy, add about ½ tablespoon of ginger instead of a full tablespoon. Although I strongly encourage you to try it out because it's so flavorful!
It kind of reminds me of the cinnamon ornaments I used to make when I was in elementary school. I just remember cutting out my little ornaments with my face as close as I could get because the cinnamon dough was just addicting! The crazy thing is that they still smell just as good when my mom decorates them with her tree!
Nothing like a little bit of nostalgia to really make you feel warm for the holidays!
The frosting glaze is actually a mixture of both in order to get the right consistency. You want this to have a thick consistency so you can actually pipe it! It's why I call it a frosting glaze: not quite thick enough to be frosting, but not thin enough to be a glaze! Definitely more of an icing! If you feel as though your icing is too thick, you can add a little bit of heavy cream if you need it.
Ingredients:
3 cups of flour
¾ teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of ginger
½ teaspoon of ground cloves
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
1 and ½ sticks of butter, room temperature
¾ cup of packed brown sugar
½ cup of molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Frosting:
1 and ½ cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
Candies, for garnish
½ teaspoon of vanilla
Add butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together until light in color.
Mix in egg and vanilla.
Then, add in molasses.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
Gently add the flour mixture into the stand mixer.
Once the dough is fully mixed together, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3-8 hours (or a minimum of 15 minutes in the freezer).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to about ¼ inch in thickness.
Cut out gingerbread shapes (or other shapes too!) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place in a preheated oven for about 8-11 minutes.
While the cookies cool, make the frosting glaze.
Stir together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Pour into a piping bag.
Decorate the gingerbread with faces, shirts, buttons, whatever you like! You can add little candies, too!
Aren't these just the cutest little gingerbread men?! They're an iconic Christmas treat for a reason!
-Holly Michelle
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