Gingerbread Cookies

The Christmas season is by far my favorite time of year. Family gatherings, Christmas music and good food! It's also the time of year to enjoy my second favorite holiday flavor: gingerbread (if that considered a flavor)! Even though I enjoy everything gingerbread (bread, cookies, cupcakes, lattes), I have never made it before. Last week, I made gingerbread cookies and attempted to decorate them. I am not a pro at icing cookies, but that didn't change the way that they tasted - which was delish! I highly recommend eating them for breakfast with a cup of coffee (they remind me of speculoos cookies for those of you who are familiar with this european cookie). Here is the recipe to make gingerbread cookies:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1.5 t baking soda

1/4 cup hot water

1 cup molasses

5.5 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 t ground ginger

1.5 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t salt

1/4 t ground allspice

Aluminum foil (if you are using cookie cutters to make fun shapes)

Parchment paper for baking

Preparation:

1. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until fluffy.

2. Stir together baking soda and 1/4 cup hot water until dissolved; stir in molasses.

*Once you stir in the molasses, the mixture will begin to turn into a foam-like consistency. 

3. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients. 

4. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Shape mixture into a ball; cover and chill 1 hour.

*I am a dough-taster (to ensure that it will taste good of course) and I was not overly fond of the dough (even though I kept eating it), it tasted too much like molasses. However, after I baked the cookies, the molasses taste mellowed down and the cookies tastes like traditional gingerbread cookies.

5. Preheat oven to 350°. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough with a 4-inch gingerbread man-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

6. Bake at 350° for 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 2 minutes; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Decorate as desired!