Gingerbread Snowflakes
Description
Make gingerbread snowflake cookies using Chef John's favorite gingersnap cookie dough as a starting point for these festive treats. Use a six-pointed star cookie cutter for best results.
Ingredients
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
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2 teaspoons ground ginger
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1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon fine salt
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1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
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1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
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1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
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2/3 cup white sugar
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1/4 cup molasses
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 large egg
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1 cup powdered sugar
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4 teaspoons water, or as needed
Directions
1
Gather all the ingredients.
2
Whisk 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, cocoa powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, cloves, black pepper, and cayenne together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed.
3
Cream together butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until pale yellow and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses, vanilla, and egg. Whisk mixture until well blended. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir just until the flour disappears.
4
Spread out a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and set dough on top. Wrap dough with plastic wrap while shaping it into a rectangle approximately 1-inch high by 4 to 5 inches wide. Refrigerate until dough is cold and firm, about 1 hour.
5
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat.
6
After the dough has chilled, slice across the block into 14 or 15 pieces about 3/8 inch thick. Each slice is then cut in half, and each half into 3 strips lengthwise.
7
Use 3 strips of the dough to form the 6-pointed star as shown and place onto the prepared baking sheet with space in between as they spread out.
8
Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes if you like the cookies to be chewy, or 15 minutes for crispy cookies. Remove from the oven and wait for 5 minutes before carefully transferring cookies to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
9
Mix together the powdered sugar and water until a ribbon is formed. Transfer the icing into a piping bag with a small round tip. Pipe snowflake designs onto the cooled cookies.
10
Serve and enjoy!