Honey Gingerbread Cookies with Lemon Icing

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 5 tsp Ginger, ground

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg white
  • 2 Eggs, large

• Condiments

  • 1 cup Honey
  • 1 tsp Lemon juice, fresh
  • 1/2 cup Unsulfured molasses

• Baking & Spices

  • 5 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp Baking soda
  • 5 tsp Cinnamon, ground
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cloves, ground
  • 2 cups Confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp Lemon extract
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 tsp Pepper, fresh ground
  • 1 1/2 tsp Salt

• Dairy

  • 1 cup Butter, unsalted

Found on theroadtohoney.com

Description

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 teaspoons ground ginger
• 5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 cups confectioners sugar (approximate - you may use less)

Directions

• Whisk together the first eight ingredients (flour through pepper) in a medium bowl.
• In a big bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter & sugar until fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, & beat until fully incorporated.
• Beat in the honey & molasses.
• Reduce the speed to low & gradually add in the flour mixture. Continue mixing until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal sized portions & wrap each in plastic wrap.
• The dough will be quite sticky so it is important to refrigerate overnight.
• Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
• Generously sprinkle flour onto a piece of parchment paper.
• Place the dough on top of the floured parchment paper & sprinkle a little bit of flour on top.
• Roll the dough out until it is 1/4 in thick.
• Brush off the excess flour & transfer the parchment & dough onto a cookie sheet.
• Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, lightly oil & flour the cookie cutters you want to use. This is especially critical the first time you roll the dough out as it can be quite tacky. As you continue to roll & flour the dough it will become less tacky.
• Remove the dough from the freezer & cut out the desired shapes. You need to work quickly because the dough will soften fast. If the dough becomes too soft while cutting, place it back in the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Place the cookies back in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, re-form the scraps into a ball, wrap them up & refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Then re-roll & cut. Repeat until you have used up all the dough.
• Bake cookies for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan & bake for an additional 5 minutes.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets on wire racks.
• For gingerbread man hugging a candy cane: Oil a round chopstick with a neutral oil such as canola. Place it at a diagonal across the gingerbread man & carefully bring the arms up so that they are wrapped around the chopstick. If the gingerbread becomes to soft, place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes & then wrap around the chopstick. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes & bake as instructed. Once the gingerbread is completely cool, remove the chopstick and replace with a candy cane.
• For gingerbread man garland: Use a straw to punch 2 holes into each gingerbread man. Place gingerbread men in the freezer for 15 minutes & then bake as instructed. Once you remove the gingerbread from the oven, use the straw to re-punch the holes as they will shrink a bit during baking. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then string the gingerbread men onto ribbon.
• Sift confectioners sugar & set aside.
• Whisk egg white, lemon juice & lemon extract in a medium bowl.
• Gradually add in the confectioners sugar & mix on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated. The icing should be stiff & of piping consistency. Note: You might achieve the desired consistency without adding all the confectioners sugar. If the icing gets too thick, you can spray it with a bit of water & mix it in.
• Spoon the icing into a pastry bag fitted with a small tip (I use THESE. Alternatively you could fill a plastic bag with icing & snip off the tip.
• Decorate the cookies & allow them to set overnight.
• Store cookies in airtight containers between layers of parchment paper for up to 1 week.