Gingerbread Cookies
- Total Time
- About 1 hour, plus chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup light brown sugar
- 1cup light molasses
- 1cup vegetable shortening
- 1tablespoon baking soda
- 1egg, lightly beaten
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- 1tablespoon ground ginger
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 to 4½cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling dough
- Royal icing and cinnamon candies, for decorating, optional.
Nutritional analysis per serving (36 servings)
149 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 132 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, molasses and shortening. Place over medium-low heat and stir just until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and mix in baking soda and ¼ cup cold water. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Step 2
Add egg, salt, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; stir to mix well. Add 4 cups flour and mix well, adding up to ½ cup more if dough seems sticky. Shape into a ball, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
- Step 3
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness, and cut into gingerbread boy shapes with a 5-inch-long cookie cutter. Arrange on baking sheets 1½ inches apart, and bake until risen and no longer shiny, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cookies to cool. If desired, decorate with royal icing and cinnamon candies. Store in an airtight container.
Private Notes
Comments
Not sure why they don't mention that the small sauce pan is not adequate to handling all these ingredients. When the baking soda is added the resulting reaction creates foaming that immediately rises over the sides of the sauce pan. You definitely need to move to a bigger bowl.
I used butter instead of shortening. They were tender and delicious, approaching the quality and texture I still remember from a 1978 bakery on 3rd St in Washington DC (apparently now the Firehook Bakery but I’ve not been there in 40 years). In the next batch I added half a cup of unsweetened apple sauce to try for that remembered apple undertone. It improved the crumb but did not recapture that elusive flavor. My wife, currently in chemo, tolerates these very well. This recipe is a blessing.
My teen daughter baked these delicious gingerbread cookies following the recipe as written except that we didn't have shortening and didn't want to go out in the pouring rain ... so she substituted 3/8 c coconut oil + 1/2 c butter for the 1 c shortening (per www.coconutoil-online.com ... worked very well and tasted great!
Made these for the first time over the holidays, exactly as written, except I substituted Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF all-purpose flour in place of the conventional all-purpose flour, and I added a 1/4 tsp. cardamom. And wow. Don't know if the GF flour substitution had anything to do with it, but when they say this makes 3 dozen, what they mean is 10 DOZEN!! Good gravy. Make at your own risk! (But at least they're tasty - got compliments from several willing victims.)
I made the full recipe instead of halving it as I’d originally intended. Regretting that decision because I didn’t like these. Too soft and mushy, and the strong molasses flavor was too much for me.
This cookies were a huge hit! Everyone that tried them raved. They loved that the spices weren’t overwhelming and the cookie was soft but not too soft. You really do need to use a large pan so when the baking soda is added it doesn’t overflow. I also subbed all butter for the shortening. It was perfect!