Embossed Gingerbread Cookies
My adorable embossed gingerbread cookies are made with carved rolling pins for a beautifully detailed look that's practically effortless to achieve. Embossed cookies are the perfect easy Christmas cookie for busy holiday cooks.
Servings: 18 cookies
Equipment
- un-insulated cookie sheets
- embossing rolling pin
- cookie cutters
- parchment paper
Ingredients
wet ingredients
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses (do not use blackstrap molasses, which is very strong and bitter)
- 1 large egg yolk
dry ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
glaze
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp warm water plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Note: the dough has a tendency to stick without parchment paper.
- Cream together the butter, sugar, and molasses, and egg yolk until well combined. Use a stand mixer like I did, or electric beaters. Scrape down the bowl to get everything evenly incorporated.
- Sift the dry ingredients together into a separate bowl and then, with the mixer on low, slowly add to the wet ingredients, mixing just until your dough starts to come together. I like to finish by hand, with a silicone spatula.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until all the floury crumbles are incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk and then wrap or cover with plastic wrap. I like to let the dough rest for 15 minutes before rolling.
- First roll out to about 1/3 inch thickness with a regular rolling pin. Then take your embossed roller or rolling pin and roll over the dough with a firm sweeping motion. Cut out your cookies and transfer the dough to your baking sheet. Reform the dough and re-roll as necessary.
- Bake the cookies in your pre-heated oven for about 8 minutes. If your cookies are thicker than mine, they might take a couple more minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before glazing. Note: you don't have to glaze your cookies if you prefer them plain.
- To make the glaze whisk the glaze ingredients together until you get a smooth thin consistency. Add more water if the glaze is too thick, it should have the consistency of maple syrup.
- Brush the tops of the cooled cookies with the glaze. Do a test cookie to make sure the glaze is thin enough that the embossed designs show through after glazing. Let the cookies dry thoroughly before serving or storing. Note: the glaze will become more translucent as it dries.
Notes
- Cookies will keep up to a week at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 141 kcal · Carbohydrates: 23 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 22 mg · Sodium: 68 mg · Potassium: 119 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 14 g · Vitamin A: 150 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 22 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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