Classic Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 5 cups all-purpose flour

Steps

1. In bowl for wet ingredients: Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar to butter mixture and beat until well combined.  Add eggs to butter/sugar mixture one at a time, beat until combined scraping down sides. 
2. In a separate bowl for dry ingredients: add baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger and all-purpose flour. 
3. Gradually add flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture; beating between additions.
4. Roll dough into 1/2 inch to 1 inch layers and wrap in saran wrap - refrigerate for 5 hours. 
5. After 5 hours, take out from fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fareinheit and roll into 1/4 inch thick layers, use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. 
6. Bake for 10-11 minutes.
7. Decorate with royal icing.

1. Beat butter until light and fluffy. 

2. Add brown sugar into butter mixture until well combined.

3. Add eggs to butter/sugar mixture one at a time, beat until combined scraping down sides.

4. Mix together while scraping down the sides.

5. Add molasses to the mixture.

6. Beat mixture until well combined.

7. In a separate bowl add your dry ingredients:

Baking soda and salt:

Cinnamon and ground cloves:

and lastly ground ginger:

8. Add 5 cups of all-purpose flour and mix:

9. Add the ginger mixture into your wet mixture gradually and beat between additions:

10. Be sure to scrape down the sides with spatula and continue beating.

11. Add the last part of flour and mix:

This is what your gingerbread batter should look like:

12. Next you are two refrigerate the gingerbread batter for a couple of hours (4-5 hours). Its best to wrap them in flat layers in saran wrap like so:

13. Store in the fridge for 5 hours.

14. Take your gingerbread out of the fridge after 5 hours and unwrap. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

15. Add flour to your work space and roll out your gingerbread to thin slices.

16. Press your cookie

Or if you have silicone moulds use those instead:

17. Pop in the oven for 11-12 minutes:

18. Voila! You are done. 

19. Decorate with royal icing to add a sweet touch to the gingerbread: