Gingerbread Cookies

It seems only fitting that I should make gingerbread cookies at Christmas.  Any girl whose last name is Ginger and her classroom of children believes their teacher's name is Mrs. Gingerbread should be baking gingerbread cookies.  I have never made them until this year and have never really thought of it.   What a colossal mistake I have been making!  My 3 kids loved taking over with the decorating.  It was hysterical seeing what they tried with the icing.  I only had one jar of food coloring, green.  At least it was a Christmas color.  I bought a bag of M&M minis and a jar of sparkly crystal sprinkles.  The icing in the jar was good for flooding the cookies.  That's about it.

I found the recipe in the current reader's digest.  I hate name dropping but this one is Martha Stewart's favorite gingerbread recipe.  Well, it was her recipe.  Now, it is mine.

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all that.

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons peeled & grated fresh ginger
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

Combine all that and add the dry stuff.  Blend until it looks like cookie dough.
Divide it up into about 2 or 3 dough balls.  Refrigerate it or roll it out on a floured surface.
Cut with cookie cutters or a glass.  (I couldn't find my cutters.)

After you cut them....refrigerate them until they are firm.
Bake at 350* for about 12-15 minutes.  It all depends on how crispy you want them.  If I were doing a gingerbread house........I think I would bake them at least 15 minutes.  They will get really crispy.  I think that would hold the candy on the house better.

Surprisingly, enough...this was really easy.  I will do these again next year and forever after that.   Someday, with my Grandchildren.  Any cool grandma would plan something this extraordinary.   I may even get a house pattern and make a house next year.

The royal icing was way easier than I expected.  Meringue powder can be found at Hobby Lobby in the cake decorating section.

Royal Icing....2 cups of confectioners sugar
                      2 Tablespoons of Meringue Powder
                      3 Tablespoons of water.

Beat until soft peaks form and add more water if necessary.  It should be stiff enough to form soft peaks.  It should take about 10 minutes.