Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies
A traditional, spicy, crisp gingerbread dough that rolls out easily, perfect for making gingerbread men or cookies in any shape.
Ingredients
unsalted butter (slightly softened)
1 cup (2 )
sugar
1 cup
salt
1/4 tsp
ground ginger
1 tbsp
baking soda (dissolved in 2 tbsp water)
2 tsp
ground cinnamon
1 tbsp
light syrup
1 cup
ground cloves
slightly less than 1 1/2 tsp
all-purpose flour (to be added in batches, more may be needed)
5 cups
Instructions
1
Make the Dough
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until smooth and fluffy. Stir in the baking soda mixture and syrup until fully combined. Stir in 2 cups of flour. Stir in or vigorously mix in the remaining 3 cups of flour. If needed, add a few tablespoons of flour to make the dough slightly firmer, but not dry. Stir or knead the dough for a few minutes until very uniform. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour until its stickiness decreases.
2
Divide and Roll Out
Divide the dough into three portions. Place each portion between large sheets of wax paper. Roll each portion to slightly less than 1/4 inch thick; check the underside of the dough and smooth out any wrinkles that form. Stack the rolled dough (still attached to the paper) on baking sheets. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes up to 8 hours, or freeze for 20 minutes to speed up cooling.
3
Preheat and Cut
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease several baking sheets or coat them with nonstick spray. Work with one portion of dough at a time, keeping the rest chilled. Gently peel off one sheet of wax paper, then press it back into place. Flip the dough over, then peel off and discard the second sheet of paper. Use 2 1/2 inch fluted or round cutters, or assorted cutters, to cut out cookies. (If the dough becomes too soft to handle at any point, transfer the paper and cookies to a baking sheet and chill or freeze until firm again.) Carefully transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets with a spatula, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Reroll the dough scraps. Continue cutting cookies until all the dough is used up.
4
Bake
Bake one sheet at a time on the upper oven rack for 5 to 7 minutes, until the centers are firm, the tops are light, and the edges are slightly darker. (For softer cookies, bake slightly less; for very crispy cookies, bake slightly longer.) Rotate the baking sheet front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning.
5
Cool
Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies are slightly firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the wire rack and let cool completely.
