Gingerbread Christmas Cutouts Recipes

GINGERBREAD CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle, about 4 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake until edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Tint some of the frosting red and some green; leave remaining frosting plain. Decorate cookies.

CLASSIC GINGERBREAD CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and eggs. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger; beat into the molasses mixture. Gradually stir in the remaining flour by hand to form a stiff dough.
• Divide dough into 2 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar. Blend in egg whites. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat for about 5 minutes, or until mixture is thick and stiff. Keep covered with a moist cloth until ready to frost cookies.

GINGERBREAD CUTOUT CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, molasses and vinegar; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; cool to lukewarm. Stir in egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt; stir into molasses mixture to form a soft dough., Divide dough into thirds. Shape each portion into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. gingerbread boy cookie cutter. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate as desired.

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, cinnamon and cloves; gradually add to the creamed mixture alternately with water. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a lightly floured rocking horse cookie cutter or cutter of your choice. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool.

GINGERBREAD CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup and spices; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in eggs and vinegar. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into sugar mixture to form a soft dough. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place on greased baking sheets. Use Red Hots for eyes and buttons. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

GINGERBREAD CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat the brown sugar, molasses, melted butter and egg yolks in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat, gradually increasing the speed to medium high, until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes.
• Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper coated with cooking spray until 1/8 inch thick. Freeze until firm, 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Cut out cookies using 2-inch cutters; arrange 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Gather the scraps and chill until firm, then reroll once to cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cutouts until firm, 20 minutes.
• Bake the cookies, switching the pans halfway through, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Make the icing: Beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3 to 4 tablespoons water in a bowl with a mixer on high speed until smooth and thick. Transfer to a resealable bag and snip a small corner. Pipe onto the cookies and sprinkle with nonpareils. Let set 30 minutes.

GINGER SHORTBREAD CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk the flour, ginger and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, brown sugar and molasses in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture until incorporated.
• Roll out the dough until 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out cookies with 3-inch cookie cutters; arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps and reroll to cut out more cookies. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
• Whisk the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and thick. Transfer the icing to a small resealable bag. Snip a small corner and decorate the cookies. Let set 15 minutes.

GINGERBREAD CUTOUTS (COOKIE EXCHANGE QUANTITY)

Steps:

• In large bowl, stir together brown sugar, shortening, molasses and water. Stir in remaining cookie ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. On floured surface, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut with floured gingerbread cutter or other favorite shaped cutter. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched (for a softer, chewier cookie, bake 8 to 10 minutes). Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In large bowl, stir together all frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Decorate cookies with frosting.

EASY GINGERBREAD CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the cake mix, flour, eggs, oil, molasses and ginger until well blended. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle. , On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with lightly floured 5-in. cookie cutters. Place 3 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° for 7-10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottom is lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate with cream cheese frosting and Red Hots as desired.

SPICED CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the molasses and egg. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the orange juice. Then stir in the orange zest.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters, and place them on an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, edges should be slightly browned. Cool cookies on wire racks.

GINGERBREAD BROWNIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, letting foil hang 2 inches over sides of pan. Spray foil with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix brownie mix, water, oil, eggs, ginger and cinnamon until well blended. Spread in pan.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Freeze in pan 30 minutes.
• Using foil to lift, remove brownies from pan, and peel foil away. Cut out 8 gingerbread men using 3-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter. Gently push brownie out of cutter each time. Set aside end pieces for snacking. If cutter gets sticky, wipe clean with damp paper towel before cutting again.
• Decorate each gingerbread man with cookie icing; place candies for buttons. Let stand about 30 minutes or until icing is set. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature with waxed paper between layers.

CHRISTMAS GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Stir in molasses and egg yolks. Combine flour, cloves, ginger, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl; mix into the butter mixture until a smooth dough forms. Shape dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Cut 4 wall panels and 2 rectangular roof panels out of paper to use as templates for the gingerbread house.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 6 portions, 2 slightly larger than the others. Roll out the 4 smaller portions; use the templates to cut out 4 walls. Cut windows and a front door into the walls as desired. Roll out remaining dough portions; use the templates to cut out 2 roof panels.
• Roll out any remaining dough and cut into decorative shapes with Christmas-themed cookie cutters. Transfer all the dough to the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cooked through and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Let stand at room temperature, 8 hours to overnight.
• Lightly whisk 2 egg whites in a large bowl. Gradually beat in about 5 cups of the confectioner's sugar until a smooth icing forms with firm peaks.
• Spread or pipe a line of icing the length of one of the side walls of the house onto a wooden cutting board. Press one of the side walls into icing so that it sticks firmly and stands upright, using cans or jars to help support the wall. Take an end wall and ice both of the side edges. Spread or pipe a line of icing on the board at a right angle to the first wall, and press the end wall into position. Repeat this process with the other two walls until they are all in position.
• Leave the walls to harden together for at least 2 hours. Keep remaining icing in the bowl, cover with a wet towel, lay a plate on top, and refrigerate so it does not dry out.
• Spread or pipe a thick layer of icing on top of all the walls, and fix the roof panels in position; the roof should overlap the walls to make the eaves. Pipe or spread a little icing along the crest of the roof to hold the two pieces firmly together. Allow to set until firm, 8 hours to overnight.
• Lightly whisk remaining 4 egg whites together in a large bowl. Gradually beat in the remaining 10 cups confectioners' sugar until a smooth icing forms with firm peaks. Pipe snow onto the roof and decorate house with candies. Finish the gingerbread house with a thin layer of sifted confectioners' sugar.

GINGERBREAD CUT-OUT DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix the flour, sugars, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and cloves in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. With the mixer speed on low, begin adding the butter. Allow the mixture to blend until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixer looks sandy, up to 4 minutes. The ingredients should hold together when clumped in your hand. Add the molasses and vanilla to the butter-flour mixture and mix on low until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead it about 20 to 25 times until smooth. If the dough is sticky, add a sprinkling of flour until it no longer sticks to your hands. Divide the dough in half.
• Working with one half at a time, roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (see Cook's Note). Use a VERY light sprinkling of flour on the dough if it is sticking to the parchment. Repeat with the second portion of dough. Chill the rolled dough on baking sheets until firm, about 2 hours in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut out gingerbread shapes and place the cookies on half sheet pans lined with parchment. Bake until the edges and center feel set and the centers puff slightly, rotating the pans from back to front and top to bottom about 8 minutes into baking, 11 to 12 minutes total for medium-sized 3-inch cookies (see Cook's Note). Allow to cool completely before removing from the parchment.