Did Somebody Say Gingerbread Cookies?

To me, Christmas is family time, cooking and baking. I cannot imagine a Christmas without traditional Romanian sarmale, nor a Christmas without gingerbread cookies. Since Sam came along, we spend the days around Christmas making and decorating cookies. In the past we also made colourful cupcakes with tons of decorations and sprinkles. But in the last couple of years we realised that we were always making too much and then ended up with a few kilograms extra (that is me). So we stick to the basics and we make this wonderful and tasty gingerbread recipe that always turns out perfect and it's an ideal canvas for having fun decorating with meringue.

Ingredients

390 g white flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

113 grams unsalted butter at room temperature

100 grams granulated white sugar

1 large egg

160 ml molasses (I use this one) To prevent molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray.

For the decorating meringue

100 g egg white

200 g confectioners sugar

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

Step 2

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat 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.

Step 3

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least two hours or even overnight).

Step 4

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1cm.

Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cookies onto the baking sheet, placing about 2.5 cm apart.

Bake for about 10 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Step 5

Meringue Frosting

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the powder sugar for about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of the mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the warm sugar and beat for 5-7 minutes until it's well dissolved.

You can fill a piping bag with the meringue so it's easier to decorate.

Have fun and be creative. These cookies are very versatile and you can also use them as decoration for other Christmas cakes. Happy Holidays!