Specialgingerbreadcookies Recipes

SOFT GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the molasses, brown sugar, water and butter until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, allspice, ginger, cloves and cinnamon, stir them into the wet mixture until all of the dry is absorbed. Cover the dough and chill for at least 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out into desired shapes. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
• Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

PERFECT GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease several baking sheets. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger in a bowl; set aside.
• Beat together 1 cup white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, butter, canola oil, applesauce, water, egg substitute, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until evenly combined. Stir in the flour mixture to make a soft, thick, not-very-sticky dough. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Stir 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon together with 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
• Roll the dough on a heavily floured surface to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden, and the bottoms are slightly darker than the tops, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheets immediately, and place on a wire rack to cool. After 10 minutes of cooling, they should be hard, like typical gingerbread cookies, but still slightly bendable, and soft on the inside.

DECORATED GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• For the dough, add the dry ingredients (except sugar) to a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Beat the butter and sugar, adding one egg at a time. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Beat in half the flour mixture, then stop and scrape the bowl and beater(s). Beat in the molasses, scrape again, and beat in the remaining flour mixture, just until combined.
• Divide the dough into several pieces and press each piece into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour or until firm.
• Set the racks in the middle upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Roll the dough, one piece at a time, on a floured surface, just to make the dough flat and even, but not much thinner. Cut with floured cutters and arrange on the pans an inch or two apart. Repeat with the remaining dough. Reroll the scraps immediately; or press together, chill and reroll later. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until firm when pressed with a fingertip.
• Cool the cookies on the pans. Meanwhile for the icing, combine confectioners' sugar and egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat by machine until combined. Add the lemon juice or vinegar and continue beating until fluffy. Divide the icing into several small bowls and add coloring. Keep plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the icing to prevent a crust from forming. Use a paper cone or the snipped end of a plastic bag to pipe icing on the cookies. Use the raisins and other decorative ingredients to accent the icing

SPECIAL GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven 350 degrees.
• Stir together flour, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer about 30 seconds; add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add molasses and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat on low until combined. To this, add the eggs, orange and lemon zest, beating on low to mix.
• Add flour mixture; stir with a spoon until combined.
• Divide dough into 4 portions; wrap each and chill about 1 hour.
• Grease cookie sheet. Roll out one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface approximately 1/4" thick. Best if not rolled thicker. (Tip: To keep things clean, roll the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use immediately, refrigerate or place in freezer for future use. If frozen, defrost overnight in refrigerator. Keep refrigerated until ready to cut).
• Cut cookies to desired shapes and arrange 1 1/2" apart on a cookie sheet.
• Bake about 7 - 10 minutes or until edges are firm and light brown. Transfer to wire rack.