Best Moravian Cookies Recipes

MORAVIAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt butter or margarine over low heat until the butter turns light brown. Add molasses, brown sugar and oil, stirring to melt the sugar. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and baking soda. Mix well. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until just blended.
• Put the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap; flatten it into a disk and wrap it up. Let dough rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before rolling. NOTE: Dough can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.
• Divide dough in half and rewrap the unused portion. Roll out the dough on a floured surface as thin as possible, less than 1/16 inch. Cut out cookies with a small 2-inch cutter and place them about 1/4 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are crisp and just beginning to brown on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

MORAVIAN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed with electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Combin 2 1/4 cups flour, soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing well. Add remaining 1/4 cup flour if dough seems very sticky. Cover and chill 8 hours.
• Work with one-fourth of dough at a time, and store remainder in fridge. Place stickinette cover on rolling pin; flour well. Roll dough to 1/16 inch thickness on a lightly floured pastry cloth. Cut with a 3 inch roud cutter, and carefully place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375F for 6-8 minutes or just until cookies brown around the edges. Cool slightly on cookie sheets and sprinkle with superfine sugar. remove to wire racks, and cool completely. repeat with reaminingdough. Store in airtight containers.

MORAVIAN GINGER COOKIES I

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, brown sugar and molasses until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice; blend into the creamed mixture. Work dough with hands until well blended. Cover and chill for about 4 hours. Dough must be thoroughly chilled to hold together.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll out dough paper thin a little at a time. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheets.
• Bake 5 to 6 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

MORAVIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour, cinnamon, and ginger together in a large bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Work lard and butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender.
• Combine vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl; mix to dissolve. Add mixture to the flour mixture in the bowl. Add molasses and mix thoroughly. Place dough in the refrigerator until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll dough out very thin on a floured surface. Cut into shapes using fancy cookie cutters.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

MORAVIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together into bowl the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
• Add the brown sugar and mix well.
• With pastry blender, cut in butter and lard. (I use my Kitchen Aid for all).
• Gradually add the molasses and vinegar and mix thoroughly.
• Chill several hours or until firm enough to roll.
• Using a small amount of dough at a time, roll out on floured surface to about 1/8 inch or more thickness and cut with fancy cutters.
• Bake in preheated moderate oven 350 degrees F. for about ten minutes or until browned.
• Cool and decorate.

MORAVIAN GINGER COOKIES II

Steps:

• Mix molasses, shortening and brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll half of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness or paper-thin on a floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into 3 inch rounds with floured cutter.
• Place about 1/2 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 1/8 inch thick cookies about 8 minutes; paper-thin cookies about 5 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely.
• To Make Frosting: Mix 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1-2 tablespoons half-and-half until of spreading consistency. Spread frosting on cooled cookies.

MORAVIAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl beat together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg yolk and beat well until combine.
• 2. In another bowl combine the flour and all remaining ingredients,blend well and add to the molasses mixture in small amounts at a time. Dough will be loose and crumbly. Gently press dough to make a soft mound then take 1/3 of the dough and place on a piece of parchment paper;pat into a rectangle. Place another piece of paper on top and roll as thin as possible (1/16-inch thick). Repeat with remaining dough.
• 3. Gently peel back top paper,replace paper and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer remove top paper and cut cookies with a 2-inch round or other cookie cutter. Place cookie on a clean piece of parchment paper on cookie sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
• 4. Heat oven to 325^. Remove cookies from freezer ; sprinkle tops with cinnamon/sugar if desired. Bake for 10 minutes. Yes that is the correct time. But check on them as ovens bake differently. They should be brown but not to dark- this depends on if you used light or dark molasses and brown sugar. If you do not cinnamon/sugar the tops. You can frost with a glaze when cooled.
• 5. Glaze: 1 c. sifted powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring(extract) 1 1/2 Tablespoons water as needed (milk will make the frosting too soft Blend sugar,salt and flavoring, add water to desired spreading consistency.

MORAVIAN MOLASSES COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt the margarine and lard together and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
• Put the molasses in a very large and heavy smooth-bottomed pot. Stir in the cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and the brown sugar. Turn to medium-high and start stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is warm, the sugar has dissolved, and all the spices are incorporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Do NOT bring it to a boil.
• Put the salt and soda in a cup or small bowl and mix it with about 3 tablespoons flour in a cup. Add that to the molasses mixture. Stir until completely dissolved, mashing any particles of soda against the side of the pot so that every bit is incorporated.
• Pour in the cooled margarine and lard, and beat with a wooden spoon until completely blended. Allow the whole mixture to cool before adding the flour, or the dough will absorb more flour. Add about one-third of the flour mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon. Add the second third of flour and continue to mix.
• Take the remaining third of flour and sprinkle a work surface thickly with some of it. Scrape all the dough out onto the floured surface, and begin to knead, flouring your hands frequently while you incorporate the remaining flour.
• When the dough has become stiff and firm and far less sticky, roll it into a long tube and cut it into eight pieces, which will weigh roughly one pound each. Shape each ball into a disk, slapping the surface with your hands to smooth it (you'll see the lard rise to the surface, making each disk kind of shiny).
• Put four disks of dough in each of two large plastic bags and seal. Allow to sit overnight on the countertop. The dough will swell some and the spice flavors will mellow and blend.
• When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Cover a pastry or rolling board (or a square piece of plywood) with bleached muslin that's been washed several times, tacking it tightly around the edges. Flour the muslin and rub the flour into the cloth to coat it deeply. Roll the cookies as thin as possible, 1/16 to 1/32 of an inch. Cut with any cookie cutter you like, using tiny cutters such as hearts or circles to cut out little cookies in the spaces between larger cookies. (You can also gather the scraps and reroll, but these cookies won't be as tender.)
• Lift the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Watch them, and don't let the cookies brown around the edges. Allow to cool on the pan for several minutes before lifting them onto cooling racks. As soon as they're completely cool, pack and store in an airtight container. If you're using cookie tins, seal the lid of the tin with masking tape. Any air creeping in will cause the cookies to soften.

MORAVIAN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
• In a separate bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter and shortening. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Add molasses and vinegar. Mix well.
• Cover and chill dough overnight.
• Roll out a small amount of dough to 1/8 (or less) inch thick. Cut into desired shapes.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 10 minutes or until light brown.

MORAVIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine molasses, sugar, lard and soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water over low heat. Melt and cool.
• Add orange extract. Gradually add flour sifted with spices.
• Dough should be firm.
• Mix and knead thoroughly.
• Cover well and set in cool place to ripen.
• Roll small amounts of dough to 1/16" - 1/8" thick on a well floured board.
• Cut into shapes with floured cutters. Use old-fashioned cookie cutters for added interest.
• Place on greased tins, smoothing out any air bubbles.
• Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until light brown--watch carefully.

GRAN'S MORAVIAN WHITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• -Cream butter and sugar thoroughly -Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition -Sift together flour and spices -Gradually add flour to creamed mixture, blending after each addition -Chill -Roll dough, a little at a time, on well-floured surface to 1/8 " thickness -Cut into desired shapes -Place on greased cookie sheet -Bake at 350' F for about 10 - 12 min or until lightly browned -Yields about 8 dozen 2 1/2" cookies

MORAVIAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and mustard in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high speed until just combined and lightly fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg yolk. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix on low until dough is just combined and still crumbly ~ 3 minutes. Give dough a few turns with spatula to bring together. Lay wax paper on clean surface and put 1/3 of batter on top. Lightly press and top with another sheet of wax paper. Using hands or rolling pin, gently pat into rectangle. Roll with rolling pin until dough is as thin as possible without breaking, no thicker than 1/16". This is key to cookies: they can't be too thin. Gently peel layer of waxed paper and replace it loosely. Transfer rolled batter to baking sheet and freeze until firm and can be peeled away from wax paper ~ 30 minutes. Repeat. Cut dough using a small (2- to 3-inch) fluted round cookie cutter and return to freezer for 15 min to set. Transfer frozen cookies to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until crisp and lightly, evenly colored (but not brown), about 10 minutes. Store baked cookies in airtight container for 10 days. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and frozen for 1 month. Cook's note: Don't be intimidated by how many cookies this recipe makes. dough freezes well, and you can roll out far in advance -- so when you need cookies, you can cut and bake as needed, which is a great holiday timesaver. Prep Time: 30 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: about 5 dozen wafers

MORAVIAN WHITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the sherry and mix thoroughly. Gradually add flour, cinammon, and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly. Refridgerate the dough overnight. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut into shapes with apprx 2" cookie cutters and decorate if desired. Bake on a greased baking sheet in a preheated 350 oven for 10-12 minues, or until lighly browned. Makes about 6 dozen 2" cookies.