Soft Gingerbread Cookies

By Kristan Little
Images
Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Serves
Makes 13 cookies
Ingredients
  • For the Cookies:
  • 7 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ dark brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ unsulfured molasses
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • For the Vanilla Bean Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tbs + ½ tsp whole milk, warmed
  • 3 tsp unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ tsp vanilla bean paste


Procedure
Heat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper and place the cookies stamps into the freezer.

Cream together the butter, sugar, and molasses in the bowl of a standing mixer, or with an electric beater until smooth and creamy. Beat in the yolk and vanilla.

To a medium bowl add the flour, baking soda, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and sea salt, and whisk until well combined.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating on low speed, just until the dough comes together.

Use a 1.5" scoop to scoop out about 13 balls of dough, rolling each between your hands to make form into a smooth bowl.

Using a chilled stamp, press down on each ball of dough until the dough is the width of the stamp, about ¼-inch thick. Carefully peel the dough off the stamp and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Place the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes, then place in the oven and bake for 9 minutes.

While the cookies are baking, prepare the glaze. Whisk all glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. The glaze should have the consistency of maple syrup, so if it seems too thick, add a bit more milk, about ¼ tsp at a time until the right texture is achieved.

Remove cookies from oven and keep them on the sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling rack.

While the cookies are still warm, use a pastry brush to brush each cookie with the glaze. The glaze will set once cookies have fully cooled.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

By Kristan Little
Serves
Makes 13 cookies
Ingredients
  • For the Cookies:
  • 7 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ dark brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ unsulfured molasses
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • For the Vanilla Bean Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tbs + ½ tsp whole milk, warmed
  • 3 tsp unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ tsp vanilla bean paste


Procedure
Heat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper and place the cookies stamps into the freezer.

Cream together the butter, sugar, and molasses in the bowl of a standing mixer, or with an electric beater until smooth and creamy. Beat in the yolk and vanilla.

To a medium bowl add the flour, baking soda, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and sea salt, and whisk until well combined.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating on low speed, just until the dough comes together.

Use a 1.5" scoop to scoop out about 13 balls of dough, rolling each between your hands to make form into a smooth bowl.

Using a chilled stamp, press down on each ball of dough until the dough is the width of the stamp, about ¼-inch thick. Carefully peel the dough off the stamp and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Place the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes, then place in the oven and bake for 9 minutes.

While the cookies are baking, prepare the glaze. Whisk all glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. The glaze should have the consistency of maple syrup, so if it seems too thick, add a bit more milk, about ¼ tsp at a time until the right texture is achieved.

Remove cookies from oven and keep them on the sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling rack.

While the cookies are still warm, use a pastry brush to brush each cookie with the glaze. The glaze will set once cookies have fully cooled.