Soft and chewy with a hint of orange and a little bit of sweet glaze, these cookies are probably the best gingerbread I have ever eaten. These are not your typical gingerbread for the kids but rather something a little more grown up and sophisticated, ready to be tucked into tins for the neighbours or to brighten up your cookie tray on Christmas Eve. Make lots, you are going to need them!
The Best Rice Krispies Squares You'll Ever Make
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
zest from 1 orange
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2-3 tbsp apple cider
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg and orange zest, combining well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and blend in the molasses and honey. In a different bowl, measure out the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt, and cayenne and give it a good stir. Slowly add to the butter mixture until combined. Dump the cookie dough out onto the counter and form it into two disks, then wrap them in cling film and chill for an hour.
Pre-heat oven to 350 F
Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured counter and cut into shapes, then set them about 1 ½ inches apart a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden and set.
Let the cookies cool completely before you dip them in the glaze, letting the excess run off and setting them on a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Let the cookies sit for about an hour to let the glaze dry before you put them in a container. I like the glaze kind of runny so that it's not a thick layer of icing, so you can add a little more cider bit by bit until it's the consistency you like.
The cookies will last about a week in a sealed container on your counter, or freeze well too.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Adapted from The Crepes of Wrath
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