For the best results, sift the ingredients through a wire sieve into the bowl before mixing. Some recipes omit the ground nutmeg, and replace it with ½ teaspoon (2. 5 g) ground allspice and ½ teaspoon (2. 5 g) ground cloves. You can also choose to include all three, depending on how spicy you want your gingerbread cookies to be. [2] X Research source
Softened butter should be cool when you touch it, but light pressure from your finger should leave an indentation. The best way to soften butter is to leave it out at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes. Cut it into chunks to help it soften more quickly. [4] X Research source
Because molasses is so thick, it’s best to drizzle it into the bowl, rather than dump it all in at once.
You’ll have an easier time mixing the dry ingredients into the butter mixture if you do it in batches and stir after each addition.
You can make the dough up to two days in advance of when you plan to bake the cookies.
Make sure to pay attention to your oven. It should beep or an indicator light should illuminate when it reaches the correct temperature.
You may find it easier to divide the dough into two sections and work with one at a time so the dough doesn’t get too soft outside the refrigerator.
Roll your dough to ⅛-inch (3. 17 mm) thickness to end up with crispier cookies.
If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can use a glass to cut out round cookies or print out shapes on your computer to create templates that you can place on the dough and cut around with a knife.
If you don’t have a non-stick baking sheet, line yours with a baking mat or parchment paper to make it easier to get the cookies off once they’ve baked.
The cookies should be firm but still soft when they’re baked through.
If you plan on decorating your cookies, it’s especially important to allow them to cool fully. Otherwise, the royal icing may melt when you apply it to the cookies.
You may need to add a little extra milk to the icing to make it thin enough for piping. Add a couple of drops at a time and stir, so you don’t accidentally make it too thin. You can refrigerate the icing for up to two days if you store it in an airtight container. You may want to make it ahead of time, so it’s ready when it’s time to decorate the cookies. If you’re short on time, you can substitute canned vanilla frosting from the grocery store for the royal icing.
When you add the food coloring, start gradually so you don’t make the icing too dark. You may want to divide the icing, and color it in multiple shades to fit the occasion.
If you don’t have a piping or pastry bag, you can use a squirt bottle to dispense the icing on the cookies.
You can also use the icing to pipe patterns on the cookies, such as an all-over polka dot or stripe design.
You can use candies specifically meant for cookies decorating, such as sugar pearls or dragees, or you can use regular candies, such as M&M’s. Allow the icing to dry completely before you place the decorated cookies in storage containers.
You can use a single colored sugar for the entire cookie, or use a piece of paper towel or a paper plate to block off sections of the cookie as you sprinkle to use multiple colors for a striped effect.
