Three-Dimensional Holiday Decorated Gingerbread Cookies

My kitchen is starting to look (and smell) a lot like Christmas! Saturday’s winter storm was the perfect excuse to stay inside and bake these festive three-dimensional gingerbread cookies.

Not only will these spicy cookies warm you up on a cold day, but once pieced together and decorated, they’ll also warm your home with holiday spirit – and are a perfect afternoon activity while the kids are on winter break.

P.S. These cookie cutters made by Williams-Sonoma make a great holiday gift! They are no longer available in stores, but you can find them on Ebay. 

Holiday Gingerbread Cookies

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg

½ cup molasses

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add the egg and molasses, mixing until combined.

On the lowest speed of the mixer, add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed, but do not over mix.

Remove the dough from the mixer, divide the dough in half, and flatten each piece into a 1-inch thick disk. Roll each piece of dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/8^-inch thickness.  Score the dough with the cookie cutters and transfer to the freezer to harden, about 20 minutes. Carefully, pop scored cookies out from the sheet of dough and transfer to parchment-lined sheet tray.

 

Bake cookies until set and golden brown. Test the cookies by touch, they should bounce back a bit. Smaller cookies will take anywhere from 6-8 minutes, while the larger ones will bake in about 8 -10. Let cool completely before decorating.

Oh and this dough is exceptional for gingerbread houses, too! It is sturdy and retains its shape while baking. Happy baking!

Gingerbread Men Sandwich Cookies

These gingerbread men sandwich cookies are a colorful twist on this traditional cookie. This warm and spicy cookie tastes and smells like the holidays. Depending on your preference you can make these gingerbread men crispy or with a little bit of a chew. These cookies are delicious with or without the filling and can easily be made into gingerbread trees or snowflakes. If you're not a fan of peppermint, substitute green or white sprinkles to add some color to your next batch. What’s your favorite holiday cookie to bake? 

Gingerbread Men Sandwich Cookies

(Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter)

6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1-tablespoon ground dry ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 large eggs

½ cup dark molasses

Juice of 1 lemon

Filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 ½ cups Crushed peppermint or candy canes

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and orange zest until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and sea salt until evenly combined. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, molasses and lemon juice until combined. On the lowest speed of the mixer, add the dry ingredients to the beaten butter until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the egg mixture until blended, do not over mix.

Remove the dough from the mixer, divide the dough in half, and flatten each piece into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, gently roll the first half of the dough until ¼ -inch thick. Lightly flour the cookie cutter and cut gingerbread men out of the dough. Transfer cookie cut outs to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough and transfer them to another baking sheet. Be sure to leave plenty of room between cookies. Bake until light brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature before filling.

For the Cookie Filling:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and beat until smooth.  

Arrange the cookies in pairs on a large work surface. Spoon or pipe 1 rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the flat side of half of the cookies. Generously sprinkle candy cane filling onto the frosted side of the cookie. Gently sandwich the gingerbread men with the remaining cookies, pressing them together so the filling spreads to the edge and the peppermint candies show through.