Gingerbread Cookies

I like my gingerbread cookies soft and these have been my go-to Holiday Gingerbread Cookie for years (both to give and to eat!) I love when people make little gingerbread men-cookies, but I realized this year that I don't have any cookie cutters! That is another reason this recipe is perfect for me, because it does not involve any rolling or cookie-cutting.

I've haven't made cookie cutter cookies since I lived at my parents house. My mom makes AWESOME cookie-cutter cookies with a fabulous "old-school-family sugar cookie recipe ;)" that I have never made on my own (due to the lack of cutters). Well, I am resolving to get some cookie cutters so next year there will be gingerbread people decorated with some icing and hopefully gingerbread wiener dogs if I can find a cookie cutter that looks like that! And, I will also add Mom's Holiday Cookie Cutter Sugar Cookies and home made colored frosting to this growing blog for Christmas 2008....

Anyhow, on to MY non-cookie-cutter-Holiday Gingerbread Cookies...these can be made a little more as a "Gingerbread all-year-round cookie" by using a bit less cinnamon, 2T less molasses and add 1 T of lemon zest- decorate with a lemon icing.



These are my contribution to Susan's EAT CHRISTMAS COOKIES BLOGGING EVENT that she is hosting over on her blog Food Blogga



Check out all the amazing entries by clicking HERE

Holiday Gingerbread Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen
(dough freezes well! 6-8 weeks)

3/4 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
1 large egg
1 T room temp water
1/2 Cup molasses
2 1/2 Cups flour
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt
Extra sugar (like 1/4 cup for rolling)

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the softened butter and 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well, add the molasses and water. In a large bowl combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Sift the flour mixture into the butter, sugar, molasses mixture (if using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment) to mix until well combined.
Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, then roll in the extra sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and press each with the back of a big spoon to squish down a bit.
Bake 8-10 minutes and let cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire racks.