Holiday Gingerbread

What’s a holiday cookie tray without gingerbread? This recipe makes a big batch of spicy dough that you can form into gingerbread men or women, or any festive shape you wish.

MAKES: about 48 cookies

PREP TIME: 25 minutes

CHILLING TIME: 1 hour, 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 10 to 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup fancy molasses
• Easy Royal Icing

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
3. Beat in the fresh ginger and ground spices.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the molasses.
6. With the mixer running on low speed, beat the flour mixture into the sugar mixture 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition just until no white streaks remain.
7. Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface and cut it in half. Pat out each piece of dough into a disc. Wrap each piece of dough tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before rolling it out.)
8. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside.
9. On a lightly floured work surface (or between two large sheets of parchment paper), roll out one piece of dough to about ¼-inch thickness. (If the dough cracks, let it stand at room temperature until it softens enough to roll.) 9. Using a 3 ½-inch-tall gingerbread person cutter (or decorative cutter of your choice), cut
   out cookies, rerolling the dough scraps once. (Rerolling the scraps more than once makes the cookies tough.) Repeat with the remaining dough.
10. Place the cookies, 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Place the baking sheets in the freezer for 20 minutes. (Don’t be tempted to skip this step. Freezing the cookies briefly helps them keep their shape, as it prevents them from spreading too much during baking.) 11. Bake the cookies on two separate racks of the oven until they’re firm and starting to brown at the edges, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets and switching their positions halfway through the cooking time.
11. Remove the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Decorate them with royal icing (see this page). (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.)