Crisp Gingerbread Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in spices, salt, and pepper, then eggs and molasses. Add in flour mixture on low speed. Divide into thirds; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to baking sheets lined with Silpat mats; refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp but not darkened. Cool on wire racks, and decorate.

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, cayenne, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes (scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed). Beat in the molasses until combined, then the egg (the mixture will look curdled). Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in 2 pieces, flatten each half into a disk and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Position 2 racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Keeping one disk refrigerated, roll the other disk on a well-floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick, sprinkling flour on and under the dough as needed and sliding a spatula underneath every so often to prevent sticking (If the dough looks crackly or breaks apart, press it back together from the outside edge in). Using cookie cutters, cut out gingerbread shapes as close together as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each shape then use a small offset spatula to transfer the shapes to the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Freeze the cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through cooking, until they are slightly firm to the touch but not browned at the edges, about 12 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting and baking with the remaining dough disk.
• Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes (The cookies will continue to firm as they cool).
• Make the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3 tablespoons water in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the frosting thickens, trying not to incorporate too much air. (The icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly.)
• Scrape the icing into a resealable plastic bag and snip the corner to the desired size. Pipe the icing onto the cookies to decorate, as desired, sticking the candy onto the icing while it is still wet. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the icing hardens, at least 1 hour.

Steps:

• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, and spices into a medium bowl. Put butter, brown sugar, and grated ginger into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in molasses.
• Beat in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the baking soda mixture. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours (up to overnight).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, and space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Roll balls in granulated sugar. Bake until surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets, 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool completely.

Steps:

• In food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade, process flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda until combined,.
• about 10 seconds. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture is sandy and resembles very fine meal, about 15 seconds. With machine running, gradually add molasses and milk; process until dough is evenly moistened and forms soft mass, about 10 seconds. Alternatively, in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and add butter pieces; mix at medium-low speed until mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, gradually add molasses and milk; mix until dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.
• Scrape dough onto work surface; divide into quarters. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll 1/8-inch thick between two large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving dough sandwiched between parchment layers, stack on cookie sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Alternatively, refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight.
• Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove one dough sheet from freezer; place on work surface. Peel off top parchment sheet and gently lay it back in place. Flip dough over; peel off and discard second parchment layer. Cut dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, transferring shapes to parchment-lined cookie sheets with wide metal spatula, spacing them 3/4 inch apart; set scraps aside. Repeat with remaining dough until cookie sheets are full. Bake cookies until slightly darkened and firm in centers when pressed with finger, about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating cookie sheets front to back and switching positions top to bottom halfway through baking time. Do not overbake. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes, then remove with wide metal spatula to wire rack; cool to room temperature.
• Gather scraps; repeat rolling, cutting, and baking in steps 2 and 4. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is used.

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper; set aside. In a large bowl, or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the molasses. Gradually mix in the sifted ingredients. Divide the dough into thirds and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are crisp but not dark. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Steps:

• Let butter sit on the counter until slightly softened but still cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add the butter pieces and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add molasses and milk; mix until dough is evenly moistened. Increase speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and divide in 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 2 to 8 hours.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll into 2-inch diameter balls. Do not overwork the dough as it will get too warm. If the dough becomes too warm, rewrap it in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator until chilled.
• Roll balls in white sugar until coated, then roll in powdered sugar until coated. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are set in the centers, about 12 minutes; be careful not to overbake. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool, 8 to 10 minutes more.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium, melt butter until foamy, about 3 minutes. Continue cooking butter, stirring and scraping frequently with a stiff silicone spatula, until the sputtering has subsided and the butter solids look deeply browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, then whisk in the fresh ginger and ground spices. Scrape the butter and any brown bits at the bottom into the bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Set aside until cool, slightly solid, but still creamy, about 20 minutes in the refrigerator or 2 hours at room temperature.
• Add confectioners' sugar, molasses, vanilla, salt and baking soda to the cooled butter. Mix on low with the paddle attachment, stopping once to scrape the bowl and paddle, until creamy and combined, about 1 minute.
• Add the egg and mix on medium until pale and fluffy, stopping once to scrape the bowl and paddle, about 2 minutes. Add flour and mix until evenly combined, about 30 seconds. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days before baking.
• Prepare the sugar coating: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and ground ginger. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper, arrange the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Using a #40 cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon portions (30 grams). Roll the portioned cookie dough into balls and coat in the ginger sugar. Arrange on the sheet tray at least 1 inch apart and bake until set and lightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well (dough will be soft). Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters and place on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar.
• Using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat until the mixture is fluffy and light.
• Add the egg and continue to beat on medium speed until fully incorporated, then beat in the molasses.
• To another, smaller bowl, sift together the flour, soda, salt and ground ginger.
• With the mixer set on low speed, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir in the candied ginger and pecans.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
• Knead briefly, then divide into 2 equal portions.
• Using your palms, roll each portion into a log, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Wrap each log separately in plastic wrap and chill about two hours.
• Preheat oven to 325*F (165*C) LIne two baking sheets with standard parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, slice the dough logs crosswise 1/8th inch thick.
• Place the dough rounds 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Set on a wire rack to cool completely.