Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (please see notes)
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup (170 g) unsulphured molasses
• 2 cups (260 g) powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp (30-45 ml) whole milk

Instructions

1. 1

   --- For the Gingerbread Cookies ---

2. 2

   Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt and baking soda to a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

3. 3

   To a large bowl add the butter and brown sugar. Cream together with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

4. 4

   Add the egg yolks, molasses and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

5. 5

   Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.

6. 6

   Divide the dough into two and form into balls.

7. 7

   Place each portion of dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll each until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle flour over each portion of dough to keep it from sticking to the top piece of parchment paper. I noticed that if I didn't do this, there were little air bubbles on the surface of the dough, but a little flour helped to smooth everything out!

8. 8

   Chill the each portion of dough for 30-45 minutes until it's a little firmer.

9. 9

   Cut cookies out with various cookie cutters.

10. 10

    Transfer the cut cookies to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Chill the cut cookies for 45 minutes- 1 hour, or until ready to bake. You'll want to chill them until the dough is completely cold and firm.I know it's a faff to have to chill them again, but chilling the cutout cookie dough really ensures that the cookies keep their shape while baking. This dough is very soft and in order to 1. have chewy gingerbread cookies and 2. be able to work with the dough, it requires two chillings. If you skip the second chilling the cookies will still taste good, but they won't keep their shape as well. (You can chill the cookies together on one or two baking sheets, and then separate them out when ready to bake.)

11. 11

    When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 ℉ (175 ℃). (Line another baking sheet with parchment paper if the cookies are together on one sheet.)

12. 12

    Arrange the chilled cookie cutouts about 2 inches apart from each other.

13. 13

    Bake regular sized cookies, that are roughly 3 1/2 inches for 9-10 minutes. Bake mini cookies, that are roughly 2 inches for 7-8 minutes.

14. 14

    Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool.

15. 15

    --- For the Icing ---

16. 16

    Sift powdered sugar into a medium sized bowl.

17. 17

    Stir in milk. (Start with 2 tbsp and add in more milk if too dry.) The icing should be thick and drip slowly off of a spoon.

18. 18

    Add icing to a piping bag fitted with a very small circular tip, or just cut a tiny bit off the end of the piping bag.

19. 19

    Decorate the cookies as you wish. Let the icing dry, then serve!

20. 20

    Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days for the best taste.