My sister and I started making these cookies in our early teens. We made them every year until I moved out of state and got married. We would spend an afternoon rolling out the dough and carefully decorating gingerbread men, women, Christmas trees, stars, etc. with colored sugars, nuts and miniature chocolate chips. One year we decorated them with homemade buttercream frosting in various colors. I continued the tradition when my children were toddlers and today continue to make them with my adult daughter.
– Janet Hawes-Davis, wife of Steve Davis, Manager of Regulatory Compliance
German Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 5-1/2 c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. ginger
- 1-1/2 tsp. cloves
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 c. butter
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a bowl.
- Mix softened butter with sugar until fluffy-light in another large bowl. Add molasses, egg and vanilla to the mixture.
- Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time, blending well after each addition, to make soft dough. Wrap dough in foil and chill 4 hours or overnight.
- Roll out dough, 1 quarter at a time, to a 1/8” thickness on lightly floured wax paper. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
- Place 1” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cook until cookies are firm, but not too dark. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
