Getting this recipe up before December 25th is the real Christmas miracle. Life has been a little different around here since my last post. If you’ve been following along on Instagram you’ll know Erick and I recently got a new puppy! (Ranger, an eleven week old Siberian husky). So between adjusting to life with him, work and prepping for the holidays things have been pretty busy. BUT I’ve had the idea of these lace gingerbread cookies on my list to try out since last Christmas so I knew I had to test it out for you – and the results did not disappoint!
The real trick to this cookie recipe is the decorating step before you bake. So for the actual dough, I wanted a standard gingerbread recipe that wouldn’t spread in the oven. (The key is to omit the baking powder). This one worked out quite well.
ingredients
For me this recipe made 24 round cookies with some scraps left over to play with.
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted, room temp butter
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1-2 teaspoons milk (optional/if needed)
Decorations
- Lace cloth doily, table cloth, napkin, etc
- Royal Icing Tips Here
instructions
Heat oven to 375 degrees and prep cookie sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, salt and all spices together in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add in egg and mix. Add in molasses and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Slowly mix in your flour mixture until the dough forms. If your dough seems extremely dry, add in small amounts of milk. I needed about 1 teaspoon. At this point I wrapped my dough in plastic wrapped and place in the fridge while I cleaned up and prepped for the next steps.
Once ready to decorate and bake, roll your dough out on a floured surface so its roughly 3/4 inches thick. Place your lace over the dough and roll again. You’ll want the final dough to be about 1/4 inches thick. Peel back the lace and use cookie cutters to cut out your cookies. Place on your parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes. Once cooled, pipe on additional lace details with your royal icing.
I love the lace imprinted detail, they remind me of Christmas ornaments. These will be sure to spice up your dessert table! For more gingerbread inspired recipes check out these gingerbread pancakes. Be sure to let me know if you try out these cookies!
Merry Christmas Eve!
Enjoy,
Meghan
