Classic Christmas Gingerbread Cookies

In this season of frenetic cookie baking, we need a variety of cookies, but we especially need ones that travel well. And if you’re looking for something deliciously seasonal that will survive a trip to faraway friends and relatives, my family’s classic gingerbread cookie recipe is the one for you!

When I was deployed in Iraq, I looked forward to any and all care packages, but when one full of my dad’s delicious gingerbread cookies arrived in Ninevah province’s bitterly cold winter, it was an occasion for celebration! They’re the best thing in the world with a cup of hot coffee, and the smell and taste warmed my heart considerably both with joy and with thoughts of home.

The recipe calls for my dad’s special blended Gingerbread spice {check out his page here} but you can also use the deconstructed spice combination I list below. Although a couple teaspoons of that Gingerbread spice, added to the grounds of your morning coffee before percolating, make a delicious Gingerbread coffee cup!

Classic Christmas Gingerbread Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen.

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup water, room temperature
• 6 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• granulated sugar for topping
• icing as desired

How to Make Them:

1. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy and fluffy. Add the molasses and beat until combined. Add the brown sugar and water and beat until combined.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices together into a dry mix. Add the dry mix by the cup to the wet mixture in the mixer bowl, beating on low. Beat until combined, adding dry mix until the gingerbread reaches a doughy texture {not sticky}.

3. Heat oven to 350F.

4. If cutting cookies, chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Otherwise, roll into 1″ balls and drop onto a cookie sheet. Add about 1/2 cup granulated sugar to a shallow dish and lightly wet the bottom of a whisky glass. Touch the bottom of the glass to the sugar and use the glass to smash the cookie balls down into flat rounds.

5. Bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes.

6. Serve with your favorite coffee and enjoy!

Happy baking!