Gingerbread Cookie Dough

Here is a gingerbread cookie dough recipe that I make unfailingly every holiday season.  It is a very flavorful recipe with a dough that is easy to handle.  It's a great cookie dough recipe to make, and decorate with children. I make mine a little thinner than the traditional cookie as I like them quite crunchy, but if you vary the cooking time you can have a softer cookie if desired. The yield varies depending on the size of your cookie cutters, but you should be able to get about 45 medium sized gingerbread men. Gingerbread cookies are a great Christmas Bazaar Bake Sale staple as well.

Gingerbread Cookie Dough
(45 medium gingerbread men or women) 

• 680 ml (2 3/4 cups) all purpose flour
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground ginger
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
• 2,5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) ground cloves
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) baking powder
• 3,5 ml (3/4 teaspoon) baking soda
• 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) salt
• 1/4 cup (60 g) vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) molasses
• 1 large egg

• Whisk together all dry ingredients. Cream vegetable shortening, butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add molasses and beat well. Do the same with egg. Fold in dry ingredients until well blended. Wrap and chill dough for at least 4 hours or overnight. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes, and bake in a pre-heated 170 C (350 F) oven for approximately 9 minutes. Vary the cooking time according to your preference: Longer for a hard cookie or shorter for a softer cookie. Let cool completely, and decorate as desired.

Royal Icing

(Adapted from Joy of Baking)

• 2 large egg whites
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups (330 grams) icing sugar, sifted

Method:

• Beat the eggs and lemon juice until well combined.  Beat in the icing sugar in small batches to avoid a mess until well combined.  Use immediately as icing dries quickly.  If the icing is too hard add a little water or if it is too loose add a little more icing sugar.

(above photos taken Christmas 2008)