The Perfect Gingerbread Cookie
The best gingerbread cookie ever. This is an easy recipe and the whole family will want to help. Once the dough is made, enjoy cutting out your favorite shapes and have fun making these cookies!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2" piece grated fresh ginger ( optional)
- 1 orange fresh orange zest
- sugar cookie icing for decorating
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.In a medium bowl, whisk flour, spices, baking soda, and salt until combined. With the mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, as well as fresh ginger, orange zest, until dough just comes together. Don't over mix.Divide dough in half and create two discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 to 3 hours. Divide dough in half and roll each piece of dough between two pieces of parchment to 1/4" thick. Chill until firm.)Preheat oven to 350° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place one disc of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll until 1/4" thick. (Alternatively, peel off both sheets of parchment from dough, then replace one sheet of parchment back underneath dough.) Cut out gingerbread men with a 3" wide cutter and transfer to baking sheets.Bake until slightly puffed and set, 9 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie cutters. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Step 6 Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Decorate with icing and sprinkles as you wish. Enjoy!