Making the Gingerbread Cookies!

Family tradition...what is that these days? Ours changes from year to year, so we are not good examples. We go where the wind blows us, and with good people we want to be around!

This year, we get to spend Thanksgiving at the home of brother Darryl and his family, and we are looking forward to it!  We won't be making a turkey, as Darryl & Liz will be taking care of the turkey. My sister Della and brother David are making a Southern Maryland stuffed ham....yummmmmm -- if you've never had a stuffed ham sandwich, you have not lived! It is by far the best way to prepare a ham, there is no comparison. For our part, we're making several pumpkin pies and fresh whipped cream. Maybe an apple pie, we'll see how the time goes. Earlier that week, Chris and I will make a whole pan of gingerbread cookies and get the ingredients and decorations together so the kids there can all do the decorating. There's just something fun about having decorated gingerbread cookies laying around, even if you never eat them. Of course, the kids Will Eat Them! Kids always do, it's just the way it is, big kids, little kids, all of them. Some folks may think  these cookies are not the easiest to make, they may even be one of the messiest recipes to use, Molasses is sticky, and there is a reason why you have to put the dough in the fridge before rolling it out...then maybe it isn't so sticky! Secret Revealed:  USE YOUR KITCHEN AID!  It makes this process so freaking easy!

Having recently moved, we are not all unpacked in the house, but we found my big box of cookie cutters! Lots of choices, including the traditional gingerbread boy and girl. My favorite: a love bug form. Here's a link to more pics from Thanksgiving decorating!

Here's a gingerbread recipe we found online. From the looks of it, this woman got it down to a good working model, so we're going to hope she's telling the truth:

Gingerbread Men Cookie Recipe
Posted by Elise on Dec 15, 2007 -- looks like the link is now broken, but I got it from Elise!

Ingredients (I always double these):

Cookies
• 3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• Optional raisins, chocolate chips, candy pieces, frosting

Royal Icing
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

Method
1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed. (You may need to work it with your hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.

3. Heat oven to 350°. Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Use either a cookie cutter or place a stencil over the dough and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips, or candy pieces in the center of each cookie if desired for "buttons".

4. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Makes 16 5-inch long cookies.

Royal Icing

The traditional way to make Royal Icing is to beat egg whites and lemon juice together, adding the powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. I use my kitchen aid, it works like a charm

If you are concerned about salmonella from raw eggs, you can either use powdered egg whites or heat the egg whites first to kill any bacteria. With the heating method, mix the egg white and lemon juice with a third of the sugar, heat in a microwave until the mixture's temperature is 160°F. Then remove from microwave, and beat in the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Using the powdered egg whites method, combine 1 Tbsp egg white powder with 2 Tbsp water. Proceed as you would otherwise. (Raw egg white alternatives from the 2006 Joy of Cooking)

If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Fill a piping bag with the icing to pipe out into different shapes.  Disposable piping bags will work, but I prefer to use the reusable bigger bags, they don't break thru like the disposable bags (esp if kids are squeezing). Keep the icing covered while you work with it or it will dry out.

When decorating, the tip with the tiniest hole works best for most fine line decorating.