We are certainly getting into the holiday spirit in our house! It’s a mix of getting ready for Halloween and celebrating that the Hallmark Christmas movies have started. I decided that I would make a few gingerbread skeletons and sugar skulls to celebrate both occasions!
A great tip to ease preparations is that you can make this dough up to 48 hours in advance and just store it in the refrigerator until about 1 hour before you want to roll it out. Even better, since December can always get busy in a hurry, you can also make the cookies now, freeze them, and then pull them out and decorate them when you have time! (They will freeze for up to 3 months)
Gingerbread Cookies
12 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon iodized salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup molasses
5 cups flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda until light and fluffy. (about 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed) Scrape the sides of the bowl and add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between each egg. Add molasses and vanilla and blend again. Gradually add the flour while mixing on low speed until it is all combined. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface. (Roll to your own preferred thickness. I use 1/4 inch). Cut the dough into desired shapes and place on parchment lined sheet pans. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until cooked through. Decorate as desired.
Note – this dough can be made ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for 48 hours before baking.
Makes – 48-60 cookies depending on the size of your cutters
For more recipes visit wineandhotdish.com!
