These classic gingerbread cookies are just right for baking with kids. The instructions are written for any beginner baker to easily follow, as seen in The Ultimate Kids' Baking Book.
PREP TIME 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 7 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 1 hourhour37 minutesminutes
YIELD 108small-to-medium cookies
Ingredients
1cup(2 sticks) buttersoftened
1cupsugar
2large eggs
1 1/4cupsmolasses
1tspvanilla extract
5 1/2cupsall-purpose flourplus more for dusting
1 1/2tspbaking soda
1tspsalt
2tspground ginger
1tbspground cinnamon
1 1/2tspground cloves
2tspground nutmeg
Instructions
In your large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl to check for shells. Add the molasses, eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture and stir them in until light and fluffy.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Whisk them together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time, beating it on medium speed to mix them well.
Divide the dough into 3 smaller portions. Cover each with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Set out 2 cookie pans and line them with parchment paper.
Sprinkle some flour onto your working surface and working 1 portion of dough at a time, roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the cookies to your desired shape, dipping the cutters in flour if they are sticking to the dough. Carefully transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie pans.
Bake for 6 to 7 minutes for medium-size cookies. Adjust the time if your cutters are significantly larger or smaller. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.