Gingerbread Cookie Cutouts
Use this dough to make gingerbread boys and girls—or other shapes, such as giant dinosaurs—for topping cupcakes (adjust baking time as necessary). The crisp cookies are flavored with a blend of spice—ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg—and sweetened with a combination of molasses and brown sugar. Follow the recipe below to make your own designs, or cut and bake as directed in specific cupcake recipes.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 to 5 dozen 2-inch cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and molasses, and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined.
Step 2
Divide dough into thirds; flatten each piece into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or overnight). Dough can be frozen, wrapped tightly in plastic and placed in a resealable plastic bag, up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Step 3
On a generously floured piece of parchment paper, roll out one disk of dough to just under 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 350°F, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, quickly cut out shapes from dough and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart, as you work. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disks of dough.
Step 5
Bake cookies until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes, firmly tapping down sheets once and rotating them halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely before decorating as desired. Cookies can be stored up to 1 week at room temperature in airtight containers.
