Gingerbread cookies have always been a favorite of mine. But don't confuse these with ginger snaps! These moist and chewy pockets of ginger and molasses get their texture from a different kind of mixing called REVERSE MIXING. So let's talk about the method, first.
Normally when you make cookies you cream the wet (sugar, butter, etc) and add the dry to it. This is acceptable and should almost always be used as the process. HOWEVER, because the ingredients going into this cookie tend to absorb all moisture used in the recipe, you have to protect the dry by wrapping it in a layer of fat.
You do this by reverse creaming. So please follow the steps CAREFULLY! If you don't they won't turn out right.
- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1 tablespoon (15 gram) portions
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup molasses (I use treacle but if you don't have it, plain molasses works- JUST NOT BACKSTRAP!)
- Using a large bowl and paddle, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, pepper and nutmeg on low to combine.
- Add the butter to the mixer and mix on medium speed until its uniformly combined and looks like the consistency of cornmeal. (THIS IS THE REVERSE CREAMING METHOD!)
- Add the egg and molasses to combine on low speed until an even dough forms.
- Form the dough into 2 disks the same size and around 1 inch thick and wrap tightly in saran wrap and refrigerate for around 30 minutes.
- Set out at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment.
- Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment to 1/4" thickness. Peel away the parchment occasionally and dust with flour as needed.
- Cut out the cookies as desired, reusing scraps the same as you would when making the cookie initially.
- Preheat oven to 350 and place racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- Bake in batches. To help them have a more defined shape, chill after placing on the tray to bake for about 5 minutes.
- Bake until set around the edges and lightly brown.
- Allow them to cool for 3 - 5 minutes on the sheets before removing them to cool completely