Description
Deliciously spiced sugar cookies that are perfect for decorating and sharing during the holidays.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Royal icing (or easy sugar cookie icing, for decorating)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, and molasses on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix once more.
- With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture until a nice dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half and shape into disks. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight. (This step is important because the dough gets soft quickly and is very sticky when soft, so it really needs to be thoroughly chilled.)
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of chilled dough at a time to about ¼-inch in thickness. (If it starts to crack when you roll it, cover it and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to soften slightly.)
- Dip the cookie cutter shapes of your choice in flour and cut out as many as you can. (I typically use shapes that are 2½ inches to 4 inches in size.) Carefully transfer each cutout to a baking sheet, leaving an inch between them. Reroll the scraps once.
- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place your icing of choice in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip or with the tip snipped off.
- Pipe decorations onto the cooled cookies with the icing.
- Attach sprinkles and or candies for added visual interest while the icing is still wet. Let the cookies sit until the icing is dry, 1 to 2 hours.
Notes
- Make sure to refrigerate the dough to avoid it becoming too sticky when rolling out.
- These cookies can be decorated in various ways based on personal preference.
- Store in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg