Gingerbread Cookie Dough
Stella Zedman
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This basic batter will let you bake up gingerbread girls and boys to decorate the holiday tree or a sweet gingerbread farm with simple cookie cutters and a little creativity. They're as much fun for little boys and girls to make as they are to munch on!
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) molasses
- 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) solid vegetable shortening, melted (not butter or margarine)
- 1-1/2 tsp. (7 mL) baking soda
- 2-1/2 cups (625) mL all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. (1 mL) ground ginger
- 1 tsp. (5 mL) cinnamon
Cooking Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together egg, molasses, sugar, melted shortening and baking soda. Beat well. In another bowl, stir together flour, ginger and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture gradually to the egg mixture, blending well. Chill the dough for several hours or overnight.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper. Cut the dough into about 4 pieces and form each portion into a nice compact ball, flouring it well. Roll out each piece on a well-floured surface to about 1/8-in. (3-mm) thickness.
- Using cookie cutters (or cardboard patterns for gingerbread farm), cut out shapes and transfer them to prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until very lightly browned around the edges. Watch them closely, as small shapes will bake more quickly than large ones.
- Let your cookies cool for a minute or two before removing them to a rack to cool completely. Decorate with royal icing and whatever else strikes your fancy. Makes one entire farm or quite a few cookies. The total yield will depend on the size of the cookies.
