Best Aunt Mabels Super Easy Gingerbread Cookies Recipes

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Gingerbread Cookies image

Gingerbread cookies are a must for the holidays, and these spiced gingerbread men have a festive taste that doesn't disappoint! Originally titled "Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men," this gingerbread cookie recipe is easy to make and fun to decorate with kids. Adjust the spices to your liking, and use any shape cookie cutter for a nice variety of holiday cookies.

Provided by Stephanie Schneidewind

Categories Gingerbread Cookies

Time 1h40m

Yield 30

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

½ cup margarine, softened
½ cup white sugar
1 large egg yolk
½ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
½ teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
½ teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste

Steps:

Beat margarine and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until mostly incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, another 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolk, then molasses.
Whisk sifted flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in a separate bowl until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture to the molasses mixture, beating until well blended and smooth.
Divide dough in half and form each into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 to 3 hours, or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Working with one disk at a time, and leaving remaining disk in the refrigerator, unwrap chilled dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Working from the center to the edges, roll dough with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
Cut dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters, dipping the cutters into flour as needed so they don't stick to the dough. Fit the cookie cutters as closely together as possible to cut as many cookies as you can. This will minimize the number of times you have to re-roll the dough.
Transfer gingerbread cookies to ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gather any dough scraps into a ball, flatten, re-wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate to use for later batches.
Bake each sheet in the preheated oven until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool while you finish rolling, cutting, and baking the remaining cookies.
Frost or decorate cooled gingerbread cookies as desired.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 88.4 calories, Carbohydrate 14 g, Cholesterol 6.8 mg, Fat 3.3 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 1 g, SaturatedFat 0.6 g, Sodium 103.4 mg, Sugar 6.4 g

THE BEST GINGERBREAD COOKIES

The Best Gingerbread Cookies image

Here's the perfect holiday cookie recipe for cut-outs and decorating. The balanced blend of warm spices and molasses adds just the right amount of seasonal flavor. A combination of butter and shortening creates a dough that rolls out easily and holds it shape during baking.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 3h

Yield 2 to 3 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook's Note)
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening, melted
2/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 pound confectioners' sugar (3 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons meringue powder
Food coloring, if desired

Steps:

For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves in a large bowl.
Mix the butter, shortening, brown sugar and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the egg. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and pat to 1/2-inch thick. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to 1/4-inch thick, dusting with flour if needed. Cut into 3- to 5-inch cookies with a gingerbread man cutter or desired shape. Brush off the excess flour and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
Bake the cookies in batches until they are golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
For the royal icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar with the meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in 6 tablespoons of water until well combined and you have stiff glossy peaks, adding 1 tablespoon more water at a time to reach a smooth pipeable consistency. Mix in food coloring as desired. Fill pastry bags fitted with tips. Decorate the gingerbread cookies with the icing.