Christmas Special: Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Hello December! I'm so glad you are here 🎄🎅 Typically, I can't wait to get out of Singapore as soon as December rolls around. But this year, I'm happy and content to be right where I am 😊

I can't tell you how long I've been wanting to make gingerbread cookies for Christmas. It has been one of things on my to-do list ever since I can remember. This year, I have finally managed to tick it off. And in the spirit of celebrating gender equality, I haven't just made gingerbread men but gingerbread women as well so I'm going to collectively term them 'gingerbread folk' 😄

My husband and I both love ginger as a spice. We like gingersnaps and tend to buy them whenever we spot them at grocery stores. And my love of cinnamon has already been extensively documented on the blog. So making gingerbread cookies was a no-brainer really. The key ingredient for these cookies is the dark molasses which is a byproduct of making sugar. This mildly sweet sticky syrup with a distinct flavor is what gives the gingerbread cookies their signature color, taste and texture. 

I' pretty sure I have mentioned this on my blog before but I'm reiterating just for the benefit of those who may not know. I generally don't prefer hard and crispy cookies. My kind of cookies are the soft and chewy variety. So that is exactly the kind of recipe I set out looking for. I found one and I felt like it would turn out the way I wanted it to. 

As I was baking these cookies, our home was filled with such amazing smells. Christmas was literally in the air! Even the girls who were busy playing in their room behind a closed door came out to the kitchen following the scent and asked "what smells so good in here?" 😄 The cookies were perfumed with a medley of warming spices, slightly crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside and had the right amount of sweetness (for us). I used a royal icing mix for decorating the cookies which made things easier. I'm not very good at piping or frosting in general but I was pleased with the outcome. 

Decorating these cookies is a really fun holiday activity you can do with the little ones. Our daughters really enjoyed decorating and then devouring their own cookies. From this recipe, I made only one batch of cookies. I've stashed the dough for the second batch in the freezer. The girls have made me solemnly swear that I'll let them decorate some more gingerbread cookies when I make the next batch 😊

We got our Christmas tree and decorations up a week ago, we've wrapped the presents, I've soaked the fruits for my annual Christmas cake and one batch of gingerbread cookies has been made and distributed. We are looking forward to catching up with friends and loved ones, cooking a lot of yummy food and having an enjoyable holiday season 😊

If you are looking for some holiday baking inspiration and haven't tried making these gingerbread cookies yet then give it a go. If you have children, get them involved and watch their little faces light up in glee!

Whether you are staying home this year or travelling overseas, I wish you and yours a joyous holiday season. 

Take care, be merry and stay safe 💗

Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Preparation time: 25 min + dough refrigeration time

Baking time: 8-10 min per batch

Makes: ~24-30 cookies (depends on the size of the cookies)

Recipe category: Dessert/Western

Recipe level: Easy

Recipe source: Adapted from here

Ingredients:

 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

170gm (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter

3/4 cup dark molasses

2 tablespoons whole milk

Method:

 

1. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Add the brown sugar, ground spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves) and mix.

2. Using either a food processor or pastry blender, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine meal.

3. Little by little, add the molasses and milk and mix until just combined. Do not overdo it. 

4. Divide the dough in half, forming each into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. If you are in a rush, place in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until firm.

5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

6. Remove one dough disc from the fridge/freezer and place on the counter. Roll out the dough (use a little flour on your rolling pin if needed), until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Cut gingerbread folk and gently place them on prepared baking sheets.

7. Refrigerate the gingerbread folk for at least 15-20 minutes (meanwhile you can roll out the other dough ball if you are making all the cookies at once). Preheat the oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F). 

8. Bake the cookies until set in the centers and the dough barely retains and imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes (depending on the size of your cookie cutter). It is critical not to over bake! Remove the cookies to a wire rack. Allow them to cool to room temperature before decorating.

9. For the icing, you can either use store-bought royal icing mix and follow the package instructions (which is what I did) or add 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp milk, and 1 cup of powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix until smooth. Add additional cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. 

10. Add the icing to piping bag and pipe decoration on the cooled gingerbread cookies. This was my first batch. 

And this was my second batch which I made a few days later. 

11. Enjoy yummy gingerbread cookies 😊

Notes:

• If you feel the dough is too 'wet' to handle, add a little more flour till it becomes a workable consistency
• You can use different Christmas-themed cookie cutters to cut out the shapes
• In addition to the icing, you can decorate gingerbread cookies using candies, sprinkling sugars, candy melts or sprinkles
• You can flavour the icing with orange essence to amp up the flavour of the cookies
• Store gingerbread cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers. 
• To make ahead: Make the gingerbread cookie dough and store it, well covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.  Roll out and cut into cookies when ready to bake. You can also freeze the dough by wrapping the dough really well in plastic wrap and freeze in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months. Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before attempting to roll. 
• You can also bake the cookies and freeze them. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Cheers,

Megha