Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 170 g Butter (Room Temperature)
- 150 g Brown Sugar (I used light but light or dark will work. The darker the sugar the darker your cookies will be.)
- 1 tsp Ginger (Freshly Grated)
- 1 Egg (Room Temperature)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 150 g Date Molasses
- 450 g Flour (3.5 cups + 1 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground Cloves
- ½ tsp Grated Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Allspice
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¾ tsp Baking Soda
Instructions
- Using a mixer, beat the room temperature butter. Begin at low speed and gradually increase to medium. When fluffy add the sugar and continue beating.
- Grate a piece of fresh ginger till you get a full teaspoon. I have learned that the fastest and best way to grate ginger is straight from the freezer. Continue beating. If you feel that your dough split (due to the water content in the fresh ginger), don't worry just keep going and the texture will fix itself later.
- Then add the egg, vanilla extract, and date molasses. Whenever you add a new ingredient, bring the speed down. Continue beating.
- Mix the flour with all the spices and the baking soda. Add the dry mixture in three increments and beat each time until incorporated.
- Once the dough comes together, stop beating and pack it in plastic wrap (2 to 3 packs) and chill in the fridge for 2 hours at least.
- Roll the dough with flour, then use cookie cutters to cut into gingerbread men or whatever shape you like.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170° C for 10-12 minutes for soft cookies, and 13-15 minutes for harder ones. Baking time also depends on cookie size / thickness so watch your first batch closely.
- Decorate with royal icing if desired.
Notes
You can sub the brown sugar with coconut sugar or date sugar.
You can also sub the date syrup / date molasses with honey, grape, carob or even sugar molasses. My preference is date, but they will all work.