Glazed Gingerbread Cookies

This is a deceptively simple way to create delicate and impressive patterns on your gingerbread cookies. The textured dough, once baked, gets brushed with a simple powdered sugar glaze and allowed to dry and crystallize.

Servings

8 dozencookies

Servings

8 dozencookies

Ingredients

1cup unsalted buttersoftened
1cup sugar
1 1/4cup mild-flavored molassesI like Brer Rabbit brand
2 eggs
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1teaspoon orange extract
5 1/2 cups flour
1teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon salt
2teaspoons ground ginger
3teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
2teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2teaspoon ground white pepper
1cup powdered sugar
2tablespoons water

Instructions

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, molasses, vanilla extract, and orange extract and beat until combined. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until you have a smooth dough. Divide the dough into thirds and wrap each third in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Remove one third of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough with your regular rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). Keep turning the dough and keep it lightly floured as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter. Use your patterned rolling pin to create texture on your dough. You can also use a cookie stamp if you prefer, or anything that will leave a texture for the glaze to settle in! Use enough pressure to leave a pattern but not enough to significantly thin the dough. Cut your dough into 2-3″ squares with a knife or pizza cutter and transfer cookies to baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the freezer for about 5 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.
Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the glaze by mixing the water and the powdered sugar together. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cookies with a thin layer of glaze. Allow the glaze to dry completely before stacking.