Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Soft and chewy Gingerbread Cutout Cookies that make your whole house smell like Christmas-sign me up!

I made these gingerbread cookies for Draper James blog, Love, Reese and it was such a blast.You can find this adorable Merry and Bright Apron HERE!

Here's my interview that was featured on their blog along with this delicious recipe:

Tell us about this recipe.These gingerbread cookies are soft and chewy with all the flavors of Christmas!The most important part of this recipe is chilling the dough. The cookies will spread out if you don’t refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours. I like to make my dough the night before and bake the cookies the next day.The icing is simple to make and you can make different colors by adding food coloring. I kept these cookies simple, but the options are endless with designs for these gingerbread cookies!

What’s your favorite Christmas tradition?My favorite Christmas tradition is my family’s Christmas Eve dinner. We cook a beef tenderloin, lots of gourmet sides and a Buche de Noel which is so fun to make. We all open one gift afterward, and it is such a special night!The anticipation of Christmas morning is something I’ll never get over.

Favorite Christmas carol?My favorite Christmas carol is Silver Bells. It was my grandmother’s favorite song, so I think of her every time I hear it and it reminds me of all our childhood Christmas’s.

What’s the best thing about celebrating Christmas in the South?In my opinion, the best thing about celebrating Christmas in the South is all our friends and family showing up at our doorstep with baked goods and Christmas gifts.I love making cookies and breads for all our neighbors and friends and blessing others during this season. There’s truly nothing like Southern hospitality!

I love these Keep it Merry Mugs and the Happy Yalliday's Guest Towel Set.I'm wearing the Embroidered Bow Button Down and the Blooming Lace Skirt- SO cute!

Photos by Brenna Kneiss, the most talented photographer!

I hope you make these gingerbread cookies with the ones you love this week!

Merry Christmas to you!

Print

Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Yield: 24-30 cookies

Author: Elisabeth & Butter

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 8 Mininactive time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 23 M

Ingredients

For the Cookies

• 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cookies

1. 1. In a large mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add brown sugar and molasses and beat together for another minute, or until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. The mixture may look curdled and separated but that’s ok.
2. 2. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and form a disk. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to a week. I like to chill mine overnight. 
3. 3. Once the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
4. 4. On a floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Use plenty of flour on your rolling pin and counter because this dough is sticky. Cut into shapes and place on the baking sheet 2 inches apart. Re-roll leftover dough and continue cutting shapes.
5. 5. Bake cookies for 8-11 minutes depending on the size of your cookies. The cookies should be slightly browned on the edges but still soft in the middle.
6. 6. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to the wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

For the Glaze

1. 1. In a bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. If it's too thick, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time until a glossy and smooth consistency, but not too runny. If you run a knife through it, it should take about 15 seconds to fill back in. If too runny, add more confectioners' sugar. Stir in vanilla extract.
2. 2. Transfer icing to a piping bag or ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the corner and decorate!

Notes:

Chilling the dough for at least 3 hours is a must in this recipe! The cookies will spread out if not properly chilled. To freeze: Wrap dough in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.

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