Perfect Gingerbread Cookies
Servings: 36 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 17 minutes
Ingredients:
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup shortening
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
Cream butter and shortening with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Continue to beat on medium until well combined.
Add molasses, vanilla, egg, and vinegar, and beat until well mixed.
Add flour a little at a time until combined. Divide the two into two and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Roll dough to ¼″ thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters into desired shapes.
Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Allow to cool 2 minutes on the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes:
Half butter and half shortening create a soft, chewy cookie that holds its shape and holds up to decorating.
Ensure egg and butter are at room temperature.
Add just enough flour to hold everything together and make the dough pliable, and use just enough on your rolling surface to keep the dough from sticking.
Lightly grease the pan or line it with parchment paper.
Additional spices can be added, including a pinch of black pepper, allspice, or ground cloves.
Chilling the Cookie Dough:
Chilling the dough in the refrigerator for gingerbread is required in this recipe.
It makes the dough easier to roll and cut, but most importantly, it keeps the cookies from spreading too much as they bake in the oven.
Divide the dough into two pieces before refrigerating to make it easier to roll. Roll about ¼-inch thick and be sure to dust your surface with a sprinkle of flour so they don’t stick.
Nutritional Facts:
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 82 | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 90mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Recipe courtesy of Spend With Pennies.com
