Gingerbread is something that I have acquired a taste for over the years. I have made many different recipes over the years and I find that they are sometimes quite heavy in texture and overloaded with spices.
This recipe doesn't have those components. It's lighter on the spices and it has a buttery texture. I think it will be reappearing on our Christmas Treat table year after year. They also last up to ten days if stored in an air tight container.
I have attached a Royal icing recipe for those of you who wish to decorate your cookies with it. I like them naked. The simpler the better for me.
If your looking for more baking inspiration head over to my
Recipe Catalog. I have moved the holiday treats to the top of the page.
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Gingersnap Snowflakes
recipe from House and Home Magazine
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room tempature
2/3 cup fancy-grade molasses
white royal icing (for decorating)
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir flour and baking powder. Stir in spices and salt.
2. In an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Add egg, then molasses. Add dry ingredients until combined. Divide dough in equal halves. Form each portion into 1"-thick square. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough on floured work surface until 3/16" thick. Punch out cookies with snowflake cutter. Place on trays 3/4" apart. Knead together scraps and repeat. Bake until browned at edges, 14 minutes.
4. Decorate cookies with royal icing using a small piping bag fitted with #1 round tip..Dry on baking trays.
White Royal Icing
Ingredients:
4 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3 egg whites
Paste food colouring
Instructions:
Step 1: In a bowl, sift together icing sugar and cream of tartar. Using an electric mixer, beat in egg whites for 7-10 minutes or until icing is thick enough to hold its shape.
Step 2: Separate into smaller bowls if making several colours of icing. Add paste food colouring to each bowl until desired colour is achieved.
Makes about 2-1/2 cups of icing
Labels: In the Kitchen
