Gingerbread cookie ornaments

By Giselle Courteau

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YIELDS

Ingredients

525 grams (3-2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
225 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
155 grams (1/2 cup) fancy molasses
2 tablespoons white corn syrup
1 batch Royal Icing

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together all the dry ingredients and set aside.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream on medium speed for two minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the egg, molasses, and corn syrup and mix for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Turn the mixer down to low speed. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until the dough starts to come together. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl, and mix again until the dough fully comes together. The dough will be fairly soft.
Shape the dough into a flat round circle, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes, until it is set enough to roll out without falling apart. At this point the dough can be kept chilled for up to two days or frozen for up to six months.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/2 centimeter thick.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes and gently place them about five centimeters apart on the baking sheets. Continue to re-roll dough scraps and cut shapes until all the dough has been used. If you’re planning on making ornaments to hang, use a small round shape (such as the end of a piping tip or straw) to make a hole in the desired spot on the cookie.
Note: If you are working in a warm kitchen or your cookie dough got quite warm while being rolled out, chill your baking sheets in the freezer or refrigerator for five to ten minutes before baking. This will prevent the cookies from spreading during baking.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the cookies have darkened slightly.

To decorate:

Use Royal Icing to decorate the gingerbread cookies. I like to use small piping bags and tips to get nice smooth lines of icing. If you don’t have those, it’s fine to use a spoon or a knife to spread the icing around. Have fun playing with different colours of icing and patterns. Make sure the icing is completely dry before threading a ribbon through the hole.