Gingerbread Cookies

With all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday, who has time to sit down and read right now? Not me.

So I'm keeping it short, sweet, and simple. Just like these Gingerbread cookies.

 

These ginger spice cookies are always a holiday favorite, especially when they're made into little gingerbread man shapes. Or large gingerbread man cookies like this one I made.

You can eat them plain (my favorite way to enjoy them), frost them with royal icing or a simple cookie glaze, or sprinkle powdered sugar over them. They're delicious either way!

And since I know you have so much to do before Christmas, here's my recipe for Gingerbread cookies.

Just do me a favor and enjoy these cookies when you finally get a chance to sit down and relax. You'll thank me when you do.

You're welcome!

Gingerbread Cookies

Recipe by Julie Murphy

Gingerbread cookies are a favorite during the Holidays with their ginger, molasses, and spice flavors.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 8-12 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes (does not include refrigeration time)
Yield: 6 dozen or 1 large gingerbread man + 5 dozen regular size cookies
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temerature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups + 2 Tablespoons All-purpose flour

Cooking Directions

1. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pepper, and spices together in a large bowl. Using a whisk or fork, stir dry ingredients together. Set aside.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together butter, molasses, brown sugar, and vanilla.
3. Add egg and beat until mixed.
4. Gradually add in dry ingredients until mixture is combined.
5. Divide dough in half, wrapping each half in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
6. When ready to bake the next morning, remove 1 batch of dough from refrigerator and let sit for 5 minutes so it will be easier to work with.
7. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
8. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
9. Unwrap dough and on a dry, flat, floured surface, roll dough out. Keep in mind, the thinner the dough, the crisper the cookie. So if you want a chewy cookie, leave dough a little thicker. It doesn't take much thickness to keep the cookies chewy.
10. Flour under dough, on top of dough, and on rolling pin frequently or dough will stick to surfaces.
11. Using cookie cutters, cut out shapes and place onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving cookies about 2" apart. Repeat with remaining dough, rolling out and cutting out shapes.
12. Bake for 8-12 minutes, until cookies feel firm or cookies are a very light brown around the tips.
13. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
14. Repeat with remaining dough, rolling out, cutting out shapes, and baking.
15. Let cookies cool completely before decorating. You can decorate with frosting, royal icing, a simple cookie glaze, or powdered sugar sprinkled over the top (as shown in photos).
16. Or you can leave them plain, my favorite way to eat them!
17. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Cutting out my gingerbread man shapes. 

 

Gingerbread man cookies coming out of the oven.

Gingerbread cookies all done!

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

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Gingerbread Russian Tea Cookies #fbcookieswap

 

It's that time of year again! No, not Christmas silly. Well, yes, it is Christmastime, but that's not what I meant.

I meant it's time for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Where food bloggers get together and share their cookies and recipes with each other all for a good cause, Cookies for Kids Cancer.

This year I received Oatmeal Orange Cranberry cookies from Erica over at Sun and Good Eats, Oatmeal Chocolate Cherry cookies from Anne at Wit Wisdom and Food, and Molasses Chai cookies from Susannah at Feast and West.

And I sent off my Gingerbread Russian Tea cookies to Ashley at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen, Jessica at A Southern Mother, and Ellen from Like Mother, Like Daughter.

It's so fun to meet other food bloggers this way and try some of their creations!

Last year, I sent off my Christmas Russian Tea cookies that I made with red and green candied cherries.

I love Russian Tea Cookies with their melt in your mouth yumminess, plus they ship really well, something I had to keep in mind when baking cookies for the swap. So I wanted to make Russian Tea Cookies again with a Christmas twist.

Since I'm loving everything gingerbread right now, I decided to make my Russian Tea cookies with gingerbread. Luckily, my baking fairy was still around when I made these because they turned out just the way I was hoping on the first batch.

I can't wait until next year to see what yummies I'll be getting from other bloggers. But in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy these Gingerbread Russian Tea cookies, and you can too!

If you want to try my Christmas Russian Tea Cookies from last year, just click on the name.

I will be posting soon where you can link up to see all the food bloggers and the cookie recipes we shared this year at the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. And if you're interested in participating next year, you can sign up here.

As always, a big Thank You goes out to Lindsay over at Love & Olive Oil, Julie at The Little Kitchen, Dixie Crystals, OXO, and Land O' Lakes who all help make this event possible to help raise money and awareness for the Cookies for Kids Cancer.

Gingerbread Russian Tea Cookies

Recipe by Julie Murphy

Christmas invades Russian Tea Cookies with this delightful gingerbread flavor.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: 46 minutes
Yield: about 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 cups All-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 4 Tablespoons Paradise candied ginger, chopped into small pieces
• 1-2 cups pecans, chopped
• 2 cups powdered sugar in a bowl (for rolling cookies in AFTER baking)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, add sifted flour, salt, and spices. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and molasses.
5. Gradually add dry ingredients into butter mixture, mixing well.
6. Fold in candied ginger and pecans. Mixture will appear crumbly but it rolls together nicely when making ball shapes.
7. Using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon, take 1 scoop of cookie dough and gently roll together into a ball shape. Place on lined cookie sheet.
8. Repeat leaving about 2" between cookie balls. Dough should maintain round ball shape and not spread during baking.
9. Place into preheated oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cookies will be light in color, if not the same color as when uncooked. Do Not allow cookies to brown.
10. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack, where they can cool completely.
11. After cookies have cooled completely (see Helpful Hints below*), roll in bowl of powdered sugar, covering entire cookie with powdered sugar, and place back on wire rack. Repeat with remaining cookies.
12. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

*Helpful Hints*

- If cookies are not cooled off, powdered sugar will melt to cookie, looking smudgy and not powdery. So be sure to give cookies at least 2 hours to cool off before rolling in powdered sugar.

- If shipping cookies, place in a zip lock bag, then place into a protective container (plastic or tin cookie boxes work best), and pad the empty space in the shipping box with packing peanuts, bubble wrap, or bulk paper to protect the cookies from breaking during shipping.

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

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Gingerbread Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Just because the Holidays are over, doesn't mean you've seen the last of gingerbread recipes, no ma’am (or sir). After all, if foods were only allowed to be made during certain times of the year, we would all get pretty bored with eating.

And after you get a taste of this gingerbread cake, you'll agree with me.

I added a secret ingredient to this gingerbread cake to keep it moist. Well, not really a secret because I’m about to tell y’all right now…{whispering}…pumpkin. Yep, you heard right, pumpkin is my secret ingredient to help keeping this gingerbread cake moist.

Along with this scrumptious orange cream cheese frosting and a touch of candied ginger to top it all off, Oh My! You won’t ever think that gingerbread is only for December again.

The orange cream cheese frosting is light and pairs well with the gingerbread. While the candied ginger adds an extra zing to top it off.

Each of the flavors are delicious all by themselves, but layer them upon each other and it becomes a flavor party for your taste buds!

This gingerbread cake will soon become a favorite of yours, no matter what time of year it is!

Gingerbread Cake

Makes 1 and ½ loafs or one 9” x 9” cake

Ingredients

2 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 and ½ teaspoons cinnamon

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon allspice

2 large eggs

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup coconut sugar

¾ cup molasses

¾ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup ginger infused hot water*

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

Grease 9 ½” x 5 ½” x 3” loaf pan and a 5 ½” x 5 ½” x 2” dish with butter or a non-stick spray. Can also line pans with parchment paper. Or you can use a 9” x 9” square pan. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Set aside.

Combine eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, coconut sugar, molasses, and butter into a large mixing bowl. Blend together until smooth.

Mix in ginger infused hot water.

Slowly add in dry ingredients, blending thoroughly.

Pour mixture into prepared pans. Leaving about ½” to 1” from the top.

Place into preheated oven and bake for 60-70 minutes for loaf pans, or until knife inserted into middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove loaf from pan and cool thoroughly on wire rack before frosting.

*For 9” x 9” square pan, bake for 35-40 minutes at 325F degrees and let cool in dish before frosting.

How to make Ginger Infused Water

Ingredients

2 and ½ cups water

2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

Directions

Add water and prepared ginger to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for another 15-20 minutes, or until ginger softens.

Remove saucepan from heat and set aside.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1/4 cup ginger infused water

1/4 cup orange juice

4-5 cup powdered sugar

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon orange extract

Directions

Add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and using your whip attachment, whip until mixture gets soft to firm peaks. Refrigerate until gingerbread cake is thoroughly cooled.

Once cake is cooled, spread over top of loaf and serve.

*Helpful Hints*

- Recipe for how to make your own candied ginger at home is coming later this week.

- Orange Cream Cheese frosting can also be served as a dollop over individual gingerbread cake slices before serving.

Inspired by ~ Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake.

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.


 Shared with: Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #131, Sweet and Savoury Sundays #97