Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (Cut-Out)

Name: Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (Cut-Out)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 33 min
Yield: 20 to 24
Cuisine: Québécoise
Ingredients: ½ cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; ⅔ cup (160 ml) dark brown sugar, firmly packed; ⅓ cup (80 ml) fancy molasses (regular unsulphured, not blackstrap); 1 large egg yolk; 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract; 2 ¼ cups (560 ml) all-purpose flour; 2 tsp (10 ml) ground cinnamon; 2 ½ tsp (12 ml) ground ginger; ¼ tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg; 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda; ½ tsp (2 ml) fine sea salt; ¼ tsp (1 ml) ground cloves; 1 tbsp (15 ml) milk; 1 egg white; 1 ½ cups (375 ml) icing sugar; ½ tsp (2 ml) vanilla extract; A few drops of water, as needed

Preparation 20 min
Refrigeration 2 h
Cooking 7 to 13 min
Servings 20 to 24
Freezing Absolutely

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Cookies

½ cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
⅔ cup (160 ml) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
⅓ cup (80 ml) fancy molasses (regular unsulphured, not blackstrap)
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups (560 ml) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 ml) ground cinnamon
2 ½ tsp (12 ml) ground ginger
¼ tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
½ tsp (2 ml) fine sea salt
¼ tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
1 tbsp (15 ml) milk

Royal icing

1 egg white
1 ½ cups (375 ml) icing sugar
½ tsp (2 ml) vanilla extract
A few drops of water, as needed

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Preparation

With a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar until completely smooth. Beat in the molasses, egg yolk and vanilla. Keep the egg white in the fridge for the icing.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and cloves.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed after each addition. Mix in the milk, just enough to bring the dough together.
Gather the dough into a ball, divide it into 2 equal portions and flatten each into a disc about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Take one disc out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes. The dough comes out very hard and needs to relax before it will roll.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and set them on the sheets. Gather the scraps and reroll until no dough is left.
Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven: 7 to 9 minutes for soft cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies.
Let them cool for 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.
For the royal icing, beat the egg white, icing sugar and vanilla with a mixer or whisk until smooth. Add a few drops of water if needed to loosen it.
Dip the tops of the cookies in the icing, or decorate them with a piping bag. Let them dry on a rack for about 4 hours at room temperature.