Gingerbread
cookies are fragrant with molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and
cloves and make perfect cut out cookies as they keep their shape when
baked. For Fall, you may want to make pumpkin cut-out cookies and
when frosted with bright orange royal icing they look especially festive.
Now, if you like your gingerbread cookies on the soft side bake them a
little less than the recipe states. The longer they bake the harder
they will become. If you do not want to frost these cookies you can
decorate them simply by sprinkling sugar on the cookies before baking.
Royal icing is a mixture of powdered (icing or confectioners) sugar, lemon
juice, and raw egg whites but due to the risk of salmonella when using raw
egg whites, I have also included a recipe using meringue powder.
Now, meringue powder is a fine, white powder used to replace fresh egg whites
and is made from dried egg whites, sugar, salt, vanillin and gum. When
beaten with water and confectioners sugar it has the same consistency as icing
made with fresh egg whites. However, I do find that royal icing made with
meringue powder does not taste as good as icing made with egg whites, so I
suggest adding about 1/2 teaspoon of extract (vanilla, almond or lemon) when
making the icing. It is important when working with royal icing to keep it
covered as much as possible as it dries out very quickly. After you
have frosted the cookies place them on a wire rack to dry which does take
several hours, or even overnight.
In
England and North America, we usually make our gingerbread with
treacle or molasses. Ground ginger and cinnamon are almost always
present, with ground cloves
placing a distant third, if used at all.
There are two types of molasses generally used in making gingerbread: light
and dark. Light molasses, used in this recipe, comes from the first
boiling of the sugar syrup and is lighter in flavor and color than the dark
molasses. Dark molasses comes from the second boiling and is darker in
color with a more robust flavor. Molasses is usually labeled as "sulphured"
or "unsulphured" depending on whether sulphur was used in the processing.
The unsulphured molasses is lighter in color and tends to have a nicer
flavor. Molasses is used in baked goods to add color, moistness and
flavor.
Gingerbread
Cookies: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the
flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer
(or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add
the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour
mixture beating until incorporated.
Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half
in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C)
and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment
paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the
dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut
out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the
baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart.
Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the
size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies
will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges
are just beginning to brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on
the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move,
transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the
size of cookie cutter used.
For Royal Icing with Egg
Whites: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer),
beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar
and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. Tint portions of
frosting with desired food color..
The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container
as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when
not in use.
For Royal Icing with Meringue
Powder:
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or
with a hand mixer), beat
the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder until combined. Add the water and
beat on medium to high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form (5 to 7
minutes). If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more powdered
sugar or water.
To cover or 'flood' the entire surface of the
cookie with icing, the proper consistency is when you lift the beater, the
ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface of the
icing for a few seconds before disappearing.
Tint portions of frosting with desired food
color.
The icing needs to be used
immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when
exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.
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