Ingredient Notes

I’ll run by way of a couple of of the components that you could have questions on. You should definitely scroll right down to the recipe card for the total listing of components and directions.

• Flour: I like all-purpose flour for these shortbread cookies. I haven’t tried making the recipe with complete wheat flour (though it really works nicely for these complete wheat chocolate chip cookies!) as a result of I need the cookies to retain a carefully crisp texture. If you measure the flour, you should definitely scoop it out of the container and frivolously filling the measuring cup. Don’t shake the cup to stage the flour; that may trigger the flour to change into compacted, leading to dry exhausting cookies.
• Spices: The cookies boast an array of heat spices to imitate conventional gingerbread: floor ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. The more energizing your spices are, the extra flavorful your cookies shall be!
• Butter: You’ll wish to use actual butter (unsalted) for these shortbread cookies. The cookies rely closely on butter for taste and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. You should definitely let the butter come to room temperature earlier than making the cookie dough. You’ll want 1 cup of butter, or two sticks.
• Molasses: Use a light-weight coloured molasses that’s appropriate for baking, comparable to Grandma’s Unsulphured Molasses (I take advantage of the identical molasses in my gingersnap cookies). Blackstrap molasses might be bitter and gained’t work nicely in these cookies.
• Powdered sugar: I like powdered sugar as an alternative of granulated sugar to make these slice-and-bake cookies as a result of it has a wonderful texture, and isn’t grainy. You’ll use powdered sugar to make the elective glaze too.

How To Make Gingerbread Shortbread Cookies

Mix flour and spices. Stir collectively the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl. Put aside.

Beat remaining components. In a big bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter, powdered sugar, molasses, vanilla, and salt. Beat the combination till it’s creamy and light-colored.

Mix. Progressively add the flour combination to the bowl, and beat till simply mixed to make the cookie dough.

Form. On a big sq. of parchment paper or waxed paper, form the dough into a protracted slim log, about twelve to 14 inches in size. The diameter of the dough log wiil be the approximate form and dimension of the cookies.

Freeze. Wrap the paper securely across the dough, and put the dough log into the freezer for half-hour.

Slice. Preheat the oven to 350℉. After the dough has chilled, unwrap and slice it into quarter-inch slices utilizing a pointy chef’s knife. Place the slices on a baking sheet. You may organize them pretty shut collectively. They’ll unfold a bit of however not a lot.

Bake. Bake every batch of cookies for 12 to 14 minutes or till agency and set. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for five minutes, then take away them to a wire rack to chill fully.

Add icing drizzle. Stir collectively powdered sugar and a small quantity of milk (or water) to type a skinny icing. Drizzle the icing over the cookies as proven within the pictures.

Chilling Suggestions

Frozen dough: When you freeze the dough longer than half-hour, it turns into too exhausting to slice. Let the dough log heat up on the counter for half-hour or so till it softens sufficient to slice. You should definitely use a pointy knife to slice it. If the dough crumbles barely on the edges, merely press the crumbs again onto the cookie.

Refrigerated dough: When you favor, you may refrigerate (not freeze) the dough a couple of hours or in a single day. You need to be capable to slice it instantly if you take away it from the fridge.

Tips on how to retailer baked cookies: After the cookies have cooled fully, retailer them in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as every week, or put the cookies in a freezer-safe container and freeze for as much as 3 months.

Tips on how to freeze the dough: One of many options I really like about shortbread cookies is which you could make the dough and freeze it to bake later. Make the dough right into a log (or 2 shorter logs) and wrap it securely. It would maintain for as much as 3 months. Bake cookies as wanted.

For Icing (elective however advisable)

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk collectively flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Put aside.

  2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons floor ginger, 1 teaspoon floor cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon floor cloves, ¼ teaspoon floor nutmeg

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (see notice 1), cream butter, powdered sugar, molasses, vanilla, and salt till creamy and lightweight coloured, about 2 minutes.

  1 cup unsalted butter, softened, ¾ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons molasses, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt

• With mixer on low pace, steadily add flour combination till mixed.

• On wax paper or parchment paper, type the dough right into a 12- to 14-inch log and freeze for half-hour or till agency (see notice 2). When you freeze the dough longer than half-hour, it could change into too exhausting to slice. If this occurs, let the dough sit at room temperature for as much as half-hour to melt.

• When able to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Minimize the shortbread dough into ¼ -inch slices; place them evenly on a baking sheet.

• Bake cookies for 12 to 14 minutes or till agency and set. Take away pan from oven and let the cookies cool for five minutes earlier than eradicating to chill fully on a wire rack.

• Elective Icing: When cookies are cool, combine powdered sugar and milk (or water). Drizzle icing over cookies, utilizing a spoon, fork, or a small plastic bag with the nook minimize off (squeeze icing by way of the small gap). Enable icing to set earlier than storing cookies in an hermetic container.

  ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk or water

1. Mixer: When you don’t have a stand mixer, use a hand mixer to mix the butter, sugar, molasses, vanilla and salt till easy. You’ll in all probability have to stir the flour combination in by hand except you’ve gotten a strong mixer.
2. Freeze the dough. Make the dough right into a log (or 2 shorter logs) and wrap it securely. It would maintain for as much as 3 months. Let it set out at room temperature for half-hour earlier than slicing it. Bake cookies as directed.
3. Storage: As soon as the cookies have fully cooled and icing has hardened, retailer them in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as every week, or put the cookies in a freezer-safe container and freeze for as much as 3 months.

Recipe retested and up to date October 25. The unique recipe included ⅓ cup dried cranberries, as an elective stir-in.

Serving: 1cookie with icing, Energy: 85kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 1g, Fats: 5g, Saturated Fats: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fats: 1g, Trans Fats: 0.2g, Ldl cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 30mg, Potassium: 25mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 143IU, Vitamin C: 0.002mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Vitamin data is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

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