Soft and full of holiday spice- these cookies are delicious and fun to make! One of my favorite holiday treats is gingerbread. The spicy, sweet flavor baked into a soft and chewy cookie is impossible for me to resist. A full tablespoon of ground ginger may sound like a lot, but that is what makes these cookies so flavorful. The dough is mixed and then chilled to make it easier to roll out and shape. You can use a traditional gingerbread man cookie cutter or any shape you like. The trick is to make sure you don’t overbake, or they’ll be crunchy rather than soft- and trust me, you want them soft on the inside with a slightly crispy edge. This is one traditional treat I wouldn’t mind enjoying at any time of year.
Belle’s Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
10 Tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup molasses
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat again. Beat in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves until combined. At low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 3 hours. Chilling is vital. I chill mine overnight. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one of the chilled cookie doughs from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. Roll out into a circle until 1/4-inch thick. The first few rolls are always the hardest since the dough is stiff, but re-rolling the scraps is much easier. Cut into shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for about 9-10 minutes. If your cookie cutters are smaller than 4 inches, bake for about 8 minutes.
