Gingerbread Cookies

      Tessa’s Recipe Overview

      FLAVOR: The warm taste of molasses combined with comforting holiday spices, skillfully balanced to ensure they are flavorful but not overly intense.

      TEXTURE: Soft, chewy centers with solid, clean edges that maintain their form beautifully when cut and decorated.

      Simplicity: This straightforward, dependable dough mixes quickly and rolls out easily.

      Why You’ll Appreciate This Recipe: The ideal cut-out gingerbread cookie — brimming with festive flavor, possessing a soft texture, presenting crisp details, and offering countless decoration possibilities.

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      There’s something truly heartwarming about baking holiday cookies. The aroma of molasses and spiced warmth fills the home, creating the ideal festive atmosphere. In this recipe, I’ve discovered a delightful balance: it’s soft yet robust, and warmly spiced without being overwhelming.

      Prepare to add this to your Christmas baking list; it's bound to become a beloved family treat. If you enjoy a richer chocolate flavor in your holiday spices, you might like my Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies.

      **Ingredients Necessitated**

      This recipe comes together using a few essential ingredients to produce the perfect gingerbread flavor and texture in every bite.

      - **All-Purpose Flour:** Be sure to weigh the flour accurately to prevent the gingerbread from becoming thick, cakey, or dry. I suggest using a digital kitchen scale or employing the spoon and level method with a measuring spoon and cup.

      - **Baking Powder and Baking Soda:** These leavening agents are vital for controlling the cookie’s spread, rise, and overall texture. Ensure that they are fresh for optimal outcomes!

      - **Salt:** Salt enhances the flavors of the warm spices, molasses, and brown sugar, maintaining balance. I prefer fine sea salt, though table salt can also be used.

      - **Spices:** Just like the leavening agents, spices should also be fresh, as older spices can lose their taste — dispose of any that have expired.

      - **Unsalted Butter:** Using butter at room temperature is ideal. If the butter is too warm, it may cause the cookies to spread too much. A temperature of around 67°F is perfect.

      - **Light Brown Sugar:** This is what gives gingerbread its rich, golden-brown color.

      - **Egg:** The egg acts as a binder, providing structure so the cookies do not crumble.

      - **Molasses:** Use unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses. I prefer the Grandma’s brand. Sulphured molasses can impart a sharp, chemical, or slightly bitter flavor, whereas unsulphured molasses offers a clean, rich, and subtly sweet taste. Dark molasses (also referred to as “full flavor”) yields a deeper taste, while light molasses results in a milder flavor.

      **A Touch of Science**

      **How to Create Gingerbread Cookies**

      This traditional dough comes together easily and rolls out splendidly for clean cut-outs. It’s one of my go-to, dependable Christmas cookies that are simple to prepare, thanks to a few helpful pointers. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

      ### Make the Dough

      Begin by whisking the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar using an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and well-combined (about 1-2 minutes).

      Next, add the egg and molasses, beating until well mixed. Finally, gradually incorporate the flour mixture while mixing on low speed until everything is fully integrated.

      ### Chill the Dough

      After preparing the dough, shape it into a thick disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for roughly 2 hours (or up to 2 days). Chilling enhances the flavor and ensures cleaner cut-outs in the next step.

      ### Roll & Cut

      Once the dough is chilled, let it sit until it becomes pliable enough to roll easily. Between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap, roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch, and then use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Arrange the cut shapes on prepared baking sheets, keeping at least 1/2 inch of space between them.



      **Tessa’s Tip:** After testing several batches, I discovered that chilling the cut cookie shapes for 10-15 minutes before baking resulted in better-defined edges, consistent thickness, and less spread during baking. This small additional step significantly contributes to achieving that crisp, classic gingerbread shape.

      ### Bake

      Bake for 11 minutes (or 13 for crisper cookies) at 350°F, making sure to rotate the sheets halfway through. The cookies should be set with slightly browned edges. Allow the cookies to cool on