Stamped Cookies #42 - Gingerbread Stamped Cookies from Your Baking Bestie

Stamped Cookies #42 - Gingerbread Stamped Cookies, made dough December 6, 2024 from Your Baking Bestie

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup (224 grams) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (112 grams) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (93 grams) molasses

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups (700 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined and no butter lumps remain, 1-2 minutes. Add molasses and beat to combine.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
3. In a small bowl, combine together ginger, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture and mix to combine.
4. Add flour in 1 cup additions, mixing on low speed after each addition until just combined.
5. In a small bowl, pour granulated sugar. Roll dough into balls and flatten slightly. Lightly coat with the granulated sugar before stamping. You can bake without chilling or, if you prefer, chill for 30 minutes to overnight first.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space stamped cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes or until middle no longer look raw or shiny. Remove from heat and let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Gingerbread seems to be the flavor of the season, or at least one of them. I'm not a big gingerbread fan. Gingerbread houses are pretty but I don't know many people who actually eat them because the gingerbread has to be so hard to hold up a structure and decorations. Plus all the spices are a bit much.

So I was glad to find this recipe that has just the right amount of "gingerbread flavor" i.e. molasses and spices. In fact, the only spices are cinnamon and ground ginger which suits me fine.

The dough was easy to work with. I do suggest weighing at least the flour and brown sugar if you have a kitchen scale, for greater accuracy. Feel the dough before adding all of that last cup of flour. You don't want it sticky but you don't want it dry and crumbly either. I also modified the directions for stamping as I prefer to roll individual balls of dough in granulated sugar rather than flour to prevent the cookie stamp from sticking.

I underbaked the test cookie slightly as you can tell from the darker middle. But it suited me just fine as the texture was dense and moist. The edges were a little bit crisp, even slightly underbaked. This is a great cookie for people who don't like strong molasses or ginger flavors in their gingerbread. Plus the impressions held up beautifully in baking.