Soft Iced Gingerbread Cookies

Servings: 12

Total time: 1 hour 22 minutes, including chilling time

INGREDIENTS

For dough:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed

⅓ cup unsulphured molasses

1 large egg yolk

1 ¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal® Baking Salt

For icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons warm water

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Beat together butter, sugar, molasses and egg yolk until well-combined, scraping down the bowl, as needed.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and baking salt in a separate medium bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture until combined.

Roll dough into 2-inch, golf-ball-sized balls, flatten slightly and place onto prepared baking sheets. Chill dough balls at least 15 minutes.

Dust cookie stamps or molds lightly with flour, tapping out any excess. If your molds or stamps are made from metal, place in refrigerator to chill with dough balls.

Firmly press dough under cookie stamps until you are able to see dough around the edges.

Remove stamp and cut cookie edges using a round cutter. Re-roll any excess dough into new cookies.

Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets and freeze for at least 15 minutes before baking.

Bake until cookies are just set, about 6-7 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet pan at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar and water in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon glaze over each cookie and brush to evenly distribute. Let glaze set at least 10 minutes before serving.