Frosted Gingerbread Cookies
These frosted gingerbread cookies are soft, melt-in-your-mouth treats that feature bold flavor. A brown sugar frosting is the ideal complement to top them.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cupsbutter, softened
- 1 cupsugar
- 1 cuppacked brown sugar
- 2 largeeggs
- ½ cupmolasses
- 2 teaspoonvanilla extract
- 4 ½ cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoonground ginger
- 2 teaspoonsbaking soda
- 2 teaspoonsground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoonsalt
- ½ teaspoonground cloves
- frosting
- ⅓ cuppacked brown sugar
- ¼ cupmilk
- 2 tablespoonsbutter
- 2 cupsconfectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoonvanilla extract
- 1 pinchpinch salt
Directions
- 1
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Editor's Tip: Properly creaming the butter and sugar is crucial for achieving the soft texture of these cookies. Make sure the mixture is light and fluffy, which could take three to five minutes, before adding the other ingredients. Stir in molasses and vanilla, and mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger and cinnamon. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture.
- 2
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Drop the cookie dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies spring back when lightly touched (do not overbake). Remove to wire racks.
- 3
For the frosting, in a large saucepan, bring the brown sugar, milk and butter to a boil. Cook and stir for one minute. Remove from the heat (mixture will look curdled at first). Cool for three minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt, and mix well. Frost the warm cookies.