Christmas Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

By Sirena Van Schiak

Every year, sometime near the beginning of November, my children spend every trip to the grocery store asking the same question, “Are we going to make a gingerbread house again?”

It is a yearly tradition, pulling out the gingerbread, slapping it together with enough icing that by the time we are done we resemble the little gingerbread men that are gracing the front yard of the house. Icing is in our hair, on our faces and smeared up to our elbows but we are too busy laughing and sneaking the occasional jube-jube that we hardly notice the mess that we are making.

On a whole, I’m not a huge fan of gingerbread but I am a huge fan of the process of creating the gingerbread cookies. It isn’t about the end result, but it is about getting there, the fun involved, the time it takes to lovingly cut out the little shapes and decorate them.

However, with this excellent recipe, you will find that even if you are not an avid gingerbread lover, you will quickly become one and you will be so thankful that your little gingerbread man doesn’t run from the house yelling, “Run, run as fast as you can,” because this is one gingerbread recipe that you want to catch if you can.

What you need:

• 3 cups of flour, all purpose works best
• ½ cups of white sugar
• 2 tsp of baking soda
• ½ tsp of ground cloves
• 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of ground ginger
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp of dark corn syrup
• 1½ tbsp of orange zest
• 1 cup of butter, softened

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl sift together the flour and spices including the ginger, salt, baking soda, cloves, and cinnamon. Place to the side.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and with an electric hand blender, mix them together until it creates a creamy mixture.
3. Add the egg to the creamy butter mixture and continue to blend until the egg is folded in completely.
4. Peel a tablespoon and a half of rind from the skin of a washed orange and add it to the butter mixture.
5. Fold in the dark corn syrup into the butter mixture and continue to mix until everything is well blended.
6. Slowly pour the flour and spice mixture into the butter mixture and mix completely. You should be left with firm dough.
7. Place in the fridge overnight or for 2 hours at least.
8. While your cookie dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 375°F before you begin mixing the cookies and lightly grease your cookie sheets. Set to the side.
9. When your dough is chilled enough, it should be firm enough to take the impression of your finger without it sticking to your skin, dust a flat surface with a layer of flour.
10. Place the dough in the center of the flour and roll it out with a rolling pin. The desired thickness should be about ¼ inch.
11. With a cookie cutter, cut out the shapes and place them on the prepared cookie sheet.
12. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are firm.

After they are finished, decorate your gingerbread cookies with icing, gum drop buttons and loads of attitude.