1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room
temperature
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
1 large egg
3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Decorations:
Cinnamon red-hot candies
Currants
1. Cream the butter with flat paddle attachment
of electric mixer on high speed until soft, about 3 minutes. Beat in sugar and
continue beating for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses,
then beat in egg, scraping down bowl once or twice.
2. Sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking
soda, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing
just until each batch is blended. Shape into a large flat ball by hand, kneading
a few times until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours,
or until firm enough to roll out.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie
sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with pan coating.
4. Roll out
dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes as
desired using either a gingerbread person shape, or any other of your choice.
Transfer to cookie sheets using a broad angled spatula, leaving at least
2-inches in-between. Place similar sized cookies on the same sheet. To make
hanging ornaments, punch holes in the tops of the shapes with the blunt edge of
a chopstick.
5. For decoration, place red-hot candies or
currants on people to make eyes, noses, mouths and buttons.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes, depending on size,
rotating pans front to back once during baking. They should just begin to brown
around the edges and feel firm to the touch. Cool pans on racks for a few
minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Let pans cool
completely before proceeding with next batch; you may re-use the parchment.
Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks or freeze
for up to one month.
(From Christmas Cooking for Dummies)
