I love the holidays—the scents of Fraser fir, the warmth of the fireplace, the memories that have been created throughout the holiday season, are all things that make this time of year so magical. Every Christmas season, it is a family tradition to get together with close friends and bake as many holiday treats as our hearts desire. From classic sugar cookies to ornate gingerbread houses, we spent hours expressing our creativity through decorated sugary concoctions. Even as adults today, we still get together around that same kitchen table, reminisce and uphold the Christmas tradition that was started so many years ago. I hope you, too, spend the holidays around a kitchen table! This gingerbread cutout recipe, with “cement” icing, is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. So grab your family, close friends, or even your neighbors, and have fun.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅔cup molasses
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 egg whites
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine 1½ cups of the flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, and beat into the molasses mixture. Gradually add in the remaining flour by hand to form a stiff dough.
- Divide dough into two pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters or a knife. Place cutouts 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool completely.
- While cookies are cooling, in a medium bowl sift together confectioners’ sugar and cream of tartar. Blend in egg whites. Using an electric or stand mixer, beat on high for 5 minutes, or until thick and stiff.
