Traditional Iced Gingerbread Cookies

I bake late at night.
In quiet.
Peace and quiet from my pretty busy household of people in a constant state of coming & going.
I like this quiet and it makes it somehow a bit more like 'me' time.
I listen to what I want (I actually listened to Christmas music as I baked these) and the lights on the tree are on and the rest of the house is dark, save for the kitchen. 
I 'think' I may hum or sing to whatever I have playing.I definitely know when I am singing, but it's the humming that I tend to not realise I do.
I often have a cup of tea or glass of wine, Baileys or some other beverage just to make it all a little bit nicer.
And then it happens...

I get kind of bored of the entire process about half way through.
And it's usually at about 2 or 3 am.

So, if I need to ice anything, I am happy to cover up the goodies until the next day and go from there.
That is perhaps the best part...giving myself that break and then finishing it all later.

These cookies are deliciously gingery and the texture is a cross between a hard cookie and a soft one, which makes them simply perfect for dipping!  I like mine a little on the thicker side, but it's all about how much you want to roll them out and how hard you want them.

I definitely need a hand in the 'decorating' part of cookies...in which I also inevitably get bored about halfway through.*L*

Traditional Iced Gingerbread Cookies

 (unknown source) 

 

• 1 cup of softened butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 large egg yolks
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

 

Frosting: 2 large egg whites & 3-4 cups of icing (confectioner's sugar)

1. Cream butter, sugar, molasses and egg yolks together.
2. Add rest of ingredients & mix well.
3. Shape into ball, wrap in plastic and chill (for at least an hour)
4. Remove from plastic wrap and roll out on a floured surface to a uniform thickness *keeping in mind that these cookies will not get any larger once placed in the oven*
5. Cut into shapes.
6. Bake at 350F (175C) for 10-15 minutes
7. Remove from tray and let cool.
8. Ice with frosting

TIP: When I lived in Scotland, I didn't have a rolling pin...and found that a wine bottle completely did the trick!


Frosting:

1. Beat egg whites with spoon
2. Add icing sugar as needed until it holds shape
3. Add colouring, put it in a piping bag, etc.
4. Cover with a damp tea towel is not using immediately

 

Eat! :)