Best Melissas Gingerbread Cookies Recipes

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MELISSA'S GRANDMA'S GINGER LACE COOKIES



Melissa's Grandma's Ginger Lace Cookies image

If you've ever wondered why our pastry chef Melissa is so good, you need only dig into her family history to realize that she comes from a long line of talented bakers. This recipe from her great-grandmother Formanek dates from the WWI era, hence no butter. These freeze well.

Provided by Vista Verde Ranch

Categories     Desserts     Cookies

Time 30m

Yield 60

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 cups white sugar
1 ½ cups shortening
½ cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar, or as needed

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Beat 2 cups sugar, shortening, and molasses together in a bowl using an electric stand mixer until uniform, making sure not to overbeat. Add eggs and mix for 30 seconds.
  • Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until just combined and dough is stiff.
  • Pour 2 tablespoons sugar in a shallow bowl. Form cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar, making sure not to flatten. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until cookies crackle on top for 'lace' design, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 113.5 calories, Carbohydrate 15.6 g, Cholesterol 5.5 mg, Fat 5.4 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 1.1 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 125.9 mg, Sugar 8.6 g

GINGERBREAD COOKIES



Gingerbread Cookies image

These traditional cookies came to The Times by way of Jennifer Steinhauer in an article about her grandmother's beloved Christmas cookie recipes. Isabelle Steinhauer would bake between "15 and 20 varieties each season: cream cheese wreaths shot from a cookie press; papery wafers carefully dipped in colored sugar; elaborate cutout cookies of nursery rhyme characters, their eyes fashioned from metallic dragées that the F.D.A. has written off as inedible; all manner of confections with nuts." There's nothing fancy about these gingerbread cookies, but they are tender, gently spiced (feel free to add more to taste) and completely wonderful with a glass of cold milk. If you don't like using shortening, some readers have had good luck using half solid coconut oil and half softened butter instead.

Provided by Jennifer Steinhauer

Categories     brunch, easy, lunch, dessert

Time 1h

Yield 3 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 12

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup light molasses
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling dough
Royal icing and cinnamon candies, for decorating, optional.

Steps:

  • In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, molasses and shortening. Place over medium-low heat and stir just until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and mix in baking soda and 1/4 cup cold water. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
  • Add egg, salt, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; stir to mix well. Add 4 cups flour and mix well, adding up to 1/2 cup more if dough seems sticky. Shape into a ball, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness, and cut into gingerbread boy shapes with a 5-inch-long cookie cutter. Arrange on baking sheets 1 1/2 inches apart, and bake until risen and no longer shiny, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cookies to cool. If desired, decorate with royal icing and cinnamon candies. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 149, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 23 grams, Fat 6 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 2 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 132 milligrams, Sugar 11 grams, TransFat 1 gram

GLUTEN-FREE GINGERBREAD MEN



Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men image

Melissa d'Arabian's gluten-free cookie recipe replaces traditional flour with tapioca flour and buckwheat flour. Decorate the cookies with easy royal icing.

Provided by Melissa d'Arabian : Food Network

Categories     dessert

Time 1h35m

Yield 38 to 42 cookies

Number Of Ingredients 21

2 cups white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or mixture of nutmeg, allspice, cloves)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
Easy Royal Icing, recipe follows
Candies, nuts and sprinkles, for decorating
1/3 cup pasteurized egg whites (from a carton is fine)
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more if needed
Food coloring

Steps:

  • In a medium bowl, sift together the rice, tapioca and buckwheat flours, the baking soda, xanthan gum, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whisk until well blended, and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream the butter with the brown sugar until the mixture is light, airy and pale tan, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix again on medium until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the molasses and vanilla, and mix again at medium speed for another minute. Add half the dry ingredients and mix on low until incorporated. Add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together in small clumps. (The dough will resemble thick brownie batter.) If the dough is too wet and not clumpy, add another tablespoon or two of rice flour. Using your hands, bring the dough together into a ball and knead for 1 minute, or until you can make a smooth ball of dough. Shape the dough into a disk and place in a resealable plastic bag, removing excess air. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. (If the dough chills much longer than an hour, let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften before proceeding.)
  • When ready to make the cookies, adjust oven racks to the top and bottom thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
  • Divide the dough in 3 equal portions. Refrigerate two portions while you work on the first. Roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness. (Best method for GF cookies is to use parchment paper barely dusted with rice flour on the top and bottom of the dough - this avoids needing to use a lot of extra bench flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter). Use cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men. You should be able to cut out 5 to 6 gingerbread men from each third of the dough, assuming they are 3 inches tall. Gather and re-roll the scraps. (Don't worry about overworking the dough, there isn't any gluten.)
  • Arrange the gingerbread men on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart and bake until the edges just begin to take on golden color, 8 to 10 minutes. (For softer cookies, cook a minute or 2 less.) Let the cookies cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, and then remove and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool completely.
  • Repeat the process for the remaining dough portions.
  • Once completely cooled, decorate the cookies with colored Easy Royal Icing, along with candies, nuts and sprinkles.
  • In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on low speed to mix the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the orange juice and vanilla and mix again until blended. Sift in the confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then mix on low speed until incorporated. After the third cup of sugar is added, keep mixing until the icing is smooth, thick and shiny, about 2 more minutes. (Add an extra tablespoon or 2 of confectioners' sugar if the icing seems runnier, like a glaze.) Divide into 2 or 3 portions, add desired amount of food coloring and mix well.
  • Fill a few tablespoons of royal icing in the corner of a resealable plastic bag, snip the tip and draw (or spread the icing with a paintbrush) onto the cookies (thin with a drop or 2 of extra juice). Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden the icing.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES



Gingerbread Cookies image

These traditional spice cookies are just right for the holidays.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Food & Cooking     Dessert & Treats Recipes     Cookie Recipes

Time 3h30m

Yield Makes 36

Number Of Ingredients 12

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
Decorating sugar or sprinkles (optional)

Steps:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients; mix just until a dough forms. Place dough on floured plastic wrap; pat into an 8-inch square. Wrap well; chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough in half. Working with one half at a time (rewrap and refrigerate other half), place dough on floured parchment or waxed paper; roll out 1/8 inch thick, turning, lifting, and flouring dough (and rolling pin) as needed. Freeze dough (on paper) until firm, about 20 minutes.
  • Loosen dough from paper. Cut out shapes, and transfer to baking sheets. Decorate with sugar or sprinkles, as desired.
  • Bake until firm and edges just begin to darken, 10 to 18 minutes, depending on size. Cool completely on baking sheets.

SPARKLY GINGERBREAD



Sparkly Gingerbread image

Made with a combination of fresh and ground ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, these gingerbread cookies are extra-spicy and very crisp. You could leave them plain, if you like, but painting them with brightly colored royal icing and sprinkling them with sugar makes them shine. Gingerbread keeps better than many other kinds of cookies. These will last for at least 2 weeks - probably even longer - stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories     cookies and bars, dessert

Time 1h30m

Yield 12 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 17

3 cups/375 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup/165 grams dark brown sugar
3/4 cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1 1/2 stick), at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 cup/120 milliliters light molasses
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
Nonstick cooking spray (optional)
Royal Icing, for decorating (recipe on NYT Cooking)
Food coloring, for decorating
Colored sugar, sprinkles and dragées, for decorating

Steps:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand-held electric beaters, beat brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg, molasses and fresh ginger, and mix until well combined.
  • Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
  • Divide dough in half and scrape onto two pieces of plastic wrap, wrapping each piece separately into a flat disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days.
  • When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Use parchment paper or nonstick liners to line 3 baking sheets, or lightly grease them with nonstick cooking spray. (You may need to bake the cookies in batches.)
  • On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll one disk of dough 1/8-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out all the dough. With a small metal spatula, place the gingerbread cut-outs onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Repeat with remaining dough. You can reroll the scraps once. Collect them from both pieces of dough, smush them together into a disk and chill before rerolling again.
  • Bake small cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, and larger ones for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are firm to the touch and their edges are slightly darker in color. Rotate cookie sheets halfway through for even baking.
  • Let cookies cool on baking sheets until firm enough to lift, about 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
  • To decorate, thin the royal icing with water until it's as thick as heavy cream (thinner than you'd use for piping). Divide it into small bowls (or a muffin tin), and use food coloring to tint it different colors. Use a brush to paint the cookies with icing, and, if you like, use toothpicks to apply more icing to make patterns. Sprinkle with colored sugar or other decorations, if you like, while the icing is still wet. Put the decorated cookies on baking sheets to set, then move them to tins or other airtight containers with parchment between the layers.

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