Classic recipe for making Christmas cookies, gingerbread people, and gingerbread houses.Based on a recipe from Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1983, Golden Press, NY.
Total Time2 hourshrs
Course: Desserts - Cookies
Author: Catherine Christiano
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
1 1/2cupsdark molasses
1cuppacked dark brown sugar
2/3cupcold water
1/3cupshortening
2teaspoonsbaking soda
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonground allspice
2teaspoonsground ginger
1teaspoonground cloves
1teaspoonground cinnamon
7cupsunbleached flourplus extra for rolling dough
Frosting to Decorate
2cupsconfectioner's sugarsifted
2tablespoonswater
Instructions
In the large bowl of a stand mixer add molasses, brown sugar, water, and shortening. Mix until blended.
With the mixer running on low, add baking soda, salt, and spices. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Mix until uniform, scraping the bowl if necessary.
The dough may be sticky. Cover and keep refrigerated.
Heat oven to 350 F. Gather cookie sheets, cooling racks, a rolling pin, scraper, and cookie cutters. Lightly grease cookie sheets with shortening. Liberally flour a work surface and the rolling pin.
Using about a soft ball-sized portion of dough, roll dough 3/8 inch thick. Thicker dough will yield softer cookies. Maintain an even thickness while working so cookies bake uniformly. Larger cookies like gingerbread people, will take longer to bake than smaller shapes, so place on separate cookie sheets. Dip cookie cutters in flour before cutting dough. Place about an inch apart on cookie sheet. If desired, press decorations like dried currants or red hots into dough before baking.
Combine dough scraps with new portion from refrigerator and continue working as before, trying not to over work dough.
Bake until no indentation remains when touched, 10 to 12 minutes. If baking multiple sheets at once, rotate half way through. Cool on completely on wire rack before decorating with frosting.
To decorate, gather a decorator's bag (disposable ones are easiest) and a round tip approximately 1/8 inch in diameter. Using a small bowl and whisk, add just enough water to the sugar until it is neither stiff or runny. If desired, divide in smaller batches, to color with food dye. Spoon into decorator's bag and decorate. Allow to dry before storing cookies.
Notes
This makes a very large batch. A standard mixing bowl cannot fit any more, so do not scale up.