Spiced Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
- Cookies
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Simple icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Spiced Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
- Whisk the flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg, molasses and vanilla until smooth. It may look a little separated, which is fine.
- Mix in the flour mixture on low until a soft, sticky dough forms. Divide in half, flatten into disks, wrap and refrigerate until firm.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line sheet pans with parchment.
- Roll one disk at a time on a well-floured counter (or between parchment) to 1/4 inch thick. Cut shapes, dipping the cutters in flour, and place them 1 inch apart on the pans. Re-roll scraps once.
- Bake until the edges are firm and the centers look just set. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer for crisper cookies.
- Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then move to a rack and cool completely.
- Stir the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a thick, pipeable icing. Spoon into a piping bag and decorate with buttons, smiles and swirls. Let set about 1 hour.