I don’t care what people say, gingerbread cookies are good all year ’round. It would be a crime to limit the consumption of these delicious treats exclusively to the holiday season.
Gingerbread cookies normally require molasses to make, but these don’t. This would be the only recipe I’d ever use it for, so I don’t really want to keep that black glue in my cupboard all the time. I searched long and hard for an alternative recipe that wouldn’t leave me with leftovers of unwanted ingredients, and here it is. Although a bit different, these smell and taste just as delicious as a traditional recipe.
Ingredients
- Butter, at room temperature ½ cup 115 g
- Brown sugar ¾ cup 185 ml
- 4 oz / 60 g pack of butterscotch pudding mix 1
- Egg, beaten 1
- Flour 1¼ cups 750 ml
- Baking soda ½ tsp 3 ml
- Ginger 2 tsp 10 ml
- Cinnamon 1 tsp 5 ml
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and pudding mix.
- Add the egg until just combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and spices.
- Let the batter chill in your refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C.
- Grease a baking sheet.
- Drop a bit of flour on a large surface and roll your dough out to about ¹⁄8” / 4 mm.
- Cut out the dough into shapes and place them about 2” / 5 cm apart on the baking sheet.
Don’t have cookie cutters? Use a glass or a mug to get a nice, round shape. Use a bit of flour on it to make sure the dough doesn’t stick. When pressing the mug or glass to the dough, make sure to twist it a bit to ensure you get all the way through.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. If you want crunchy cookies, leave them in a few minutes longer until the edges grow darker.
You might worry about the cookies being a little soft and maybe parts still being raw – don’t. At that temperature, you’re killing any bacteria and there’s nothing to worry about. The key to good cookies is that they give a little when you touch them. They’ll harden as they cool.
- Let cool for about two minutes before removing the cookies from the baking sheet.
- Let cool completely if you want to decorate these with icing.
Makes about 40 cookies of 2.5” / 6 cm diameter. These are good both with and without icing, so take your pick. I’ve never tried this recipe to make a gingerbread house, but I’m pretty confident the cookie will be sturdy enough for it if you leave it in until the edges get dark. If you want to have enough material for your very own little edible cottage, you’ll probably need to make a double batch though.