Holiday Favorites: Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Soft, chewy and highly dunkable gingerbread cutout cookies

Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

At least once during the Christmas season, the entire family will be involved in making cutout cookies. Mixing, rolling out the dough, testing out the most recently acquired cookie cutter and then frosting and decorating the finished cookies take up the better part of a snowy Saturday.

These gingerbread cookies are soft, chewy and warm with the flavors of ginger and cinnamon. They can be left plain, frosted with buttercream or topped with royal icing and adorned with any number of finishing touches - sprinkles, dragees, sparkling sugars or crushed candies. Let little hands and imaginations go wild and forget about "perfection"; the end results will be an afternoon of incessant chatter, flour-drenched clothing and a plate of cookies that will end up as unique as the family members who created it.

Traditional Gingerbread Cutouts

3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. unsalted butter
1/4 c. vegetable shortening
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. mild molasses
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Melt butter and shortening together and pour into large mixing bowl. Add sugars and molasses and stir together. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to allow sugars to dissolve into the melted butter.

Add a third of the flour mixture and use a hand mixer to slowly beat into the butter. Beat in egg. Slowly incorporate the rest of the flour, beating just until blended.

Divide dough in half and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough to 1/4" thick on lightly floured surface. Cut out with cookie cutters and place 1" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 9 - 11 minutes, rotating sheets from bottom rack to top and vice-versa halfway through baking to prevent overbrowning. Allow to cool completely before frosting.  Makes 2 1/2 dozen, using 3" cookie cutters.

Tips:
Molasses has a slightly bitter taste that some people don't like. Dark corn syrup or dark honey (buckwheat or alfalfa) can be substituted for the molasses.

Use essential oils instead of ground spices for a more intense flavor. 1/2 tsp. ginger oil and 3 - 4 drops of cinnamon easily flavor a batch. The cookies will be a lighter color than those made with ground spices.  Essential oils can be found in the cake decorating section of Meijers or online at Amazon.com or from Lorann Oils.