Soft and Thick Gingerbread Cookies
These soft and thick gingerbread cookies have the perfect lightly spiced gingerbread flavor, and are so delicious!
Okay, I know it's a little late in the game to be sharing a Christmas cookie recipe, but these soft and thick gingerbread cookies are too delicious to wait until next year! I have to confess, I've had a hard time getting in the holiday spirit this year. The Christmas season is so short this time around, and I have so many other things on my plate right now that are occupying my attention. We haven't done the majority of our Christmas traditions, like watching our favorite Christmas movies, going to look at the Zoo Lights, or even our Christmas baking. I'm always pretty homesick this time of year, and a few days ago I was feeling pretty bummed about missing Christmas with my family. I decided to ignore my endless to-do list, and got right to baking some delicious cookies!
These gingerbread cookies smelled heavenly while they were baking, and by the time they were out of the oven, my mood had significantly improved. I whipped up some quick frosting, turned on a cheesy Christmas movie (Let it Snow on Netflix), and started decorating. The finished cookies were so adorable, and totally delicious! I have a trusty gingerbread recipe that I've been using for years now, but this recipe may just have edged it out for my favorite. The key is to roll them out pretty thick, so the finished cookies will stay soft. These cookies have the most delicious gingerbread flavor, and the perfect cookie texture! I made a slightly non-traditional choice and iced them with buttercream frosting instead of royal icing, because I don't like the way royal icing tastes, and I think the buttercream adds a little something special. These cookies are so delicious!
Soft and Thick Gingerbread Cookies
for the cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white vinegar
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
for the frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 - 2 tablespoons milk or half and half
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, molasses, and white vinegar, and beat until well blended. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disc. Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, and cut it out into shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 9-11 minutes, then let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk, and blend until smooth. Add additional milk as needed to make a smooth frosting. Beat on high speed for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cookies and enjoy!
adapted from Bless This Mess
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