Gingerbread Cookies

The Christmas baking season is not complete without Gingerbread and with kids and a wife, there was no escaping! I have avoided the making of a Gingerbread house to date but I am not sure I will be able hold out. Next year fore sure....

Any who...I don't like my Gingerbread to be too strong or too hard, hence I reduce the molasses a bit, and use egg yolks to give them a little extra richness. Benny was a big fan this year and helped us decorate them with a little royal icing (1 egg white, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and 1 cup of icing sugar - whip eggs and tartar till frothy, add sugar and beat until medium peaks) and red smarties.

The Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies

makes 24 (medium sized men), prep time 25 minutes, cook time 12 minutes

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 egg yolks (reserve the white for royal icing)
1/32 cup of molasses
2 1/2 cups of flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp finely ground sea salt
1 tsp powder ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, whip the butter until smooth and creamy with an electric mixer.

Add the brown sugar, egg yolks, and molasses one at time. Continue mixing after each is added until mixture is smooth again.

Combine the flour, sea salt, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and sift into the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth, the easiest way is with your hands.

With a floured rolling pin, on a well flour surface, roll the dough until about a 1/3 of an inch thick. Cut out your shapes and transfer to a cookie sheet (as always I prefer using clay of silpat to prevent the bottoms from burning).

Cook for 12 minutes, remove and let cool before decorating!