Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies
3 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour
1 cup, packed Light Brown Sugar
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
4 tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Ground Clove
4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 sticks plus 1 TBL Unsalted Butter at room temperature
3 TBL Whole Milk
1 cup Blackstrap Molasses
Mix together the Flour, Brown Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda and spices in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment until all the ingredients are mixed together well. On low speed gradually add the butter and beat until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Mix together the milk and molasses. With the mixer running gradually add the molasses mixture to the mixing bowl and mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and a soft dough is formed.
Divide the dough up into 2-4 balls. Flatten into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Dough can also easily be frozen for up to 30 days. Simply remove from the freezer 24 hours prior to baking.
When ready to bake preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your cutting board with a sheet of parchment paper big enough to cover your cutting board and also fit your cookie sheet. Remove your gingerbread dough from the refrigerator. Dust the surface of your parchment paper heavily with flour and roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut your desired shapes into the cookie dough, leaving ¾ of an inch, enough room for cookies to expand in the oven, between each shape. Remove the excess dough from in between the cookies shapes and reform the excess dough into a disk, which you can either re-roll out or refrigerate or freeze for future use. Lift your cutting board off of your work surface and gently tilt it towards your cookie sheet, sliding the parchment paper with the cookies onto the cookie sheet. Gently re-arrange the cookies if necessary, giving them enough room to expand in the oven.
Bake the cookies for 10 – 12 minutes for a soft cookie and 12-14 minutes for a crispy one. Allow cookies to cool. Ice with Royal Icing and decorate with sprinkles. Allow icing to harden and enjoy.
Royal Icing
1/3 cup Pasteurized Egg Whites
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3-4 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
Beat the egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with your hand held mixer until the mixture looks frothy. Add the vanilla and with the mixer running on low speed gradually add the powdered sugar. If you want an icing that is easily spreadable add enough sugar to get the icing to slowly ribbon off the beater or whisk. For an icing that can be piped, add enough powdered sugar to get the icing to form stiff peaks and cling to the beaters or whisk without leaving the beater or whisk when held away from the bowl. Divide the icing up into smaller portions for coloring or use white. Place the icing in pastry bags fitted with the tip of your choice and pipe onto cookies.