Baker's favourite gingerbread cookies are 'loved by millions' - recipe
Baker Sally McKenney's gingerbread cookie recipe guarantees a soft centre, crisp edges, and smiling faces.
A perfect Christmassy snack, here's how you can make the delicious bake.
Sally McKenney said: "This is my favourite gingerbread cookie recipe and it’s also loved by millions.
"I played around with the spices a lot and really loved the flavour of these cookies."
Do note that the gingerbread cookie dough requires chilling of a minimum of three hours.
Recipe
Total time: four hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies
Ingredients:
- 440g all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled)
- One teaspoon baking soda
- Half teaspoon salt
- One tablespoon ground ginger
- One tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Half teaspoon ground allspice
- Half teaspoon ground cloves
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 150g packed light or dark brown sugar
- 160ml unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; Sally prefers Grandma’s brand)
- One large egg, at room temperature
- One teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional: easy cookie icing or royal icing
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for one minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy.
- Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
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5. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and beat on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky.
6. Divide the dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape.
7. Chill discs for at least 3threehours and up to three days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. Sally recommended chilling the dough overnight.
9. Remove one disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. Roll out disc until 1/4-inch thick.
10. Cut into shapes, place shapes one inch apart on baking sheets, and repeat with remaining disc of dough.
11. Bake cookies for about nine to 10 minutes (eight minutes if cookie cutters are smaller than four inches).
12. Rotate pan once during baking time. When baked, allow cookies to cool for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Decorate.
These gingerbread cookies stay fresh for up to one week, stored at room temperature.
