Carlsmith Family’s Gingerbread Cookies (from Eating Well Magazine)

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes. It appeared in the December 2005/January 2006 issue of Eating Well. (http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/gingerbread_cookie.html)

Ingredients:

3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (you can use regular salted butter if that’s all you have)

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 cup molasses (we like blackstrap, but some people might think it’s too strong)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

Directions: Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat butter, oil, and sugar in another large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg, molasses, and vinegar; beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough will be very soft. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray or parchment paper. Use one portion of dough at a time. Roll to desired thickness, approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies and place on baking sheets 1/2 inch apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, until puffed but still soft. Cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

This recipe makes about 80 cookies, depending on the size of your cutters. I usually just bake 2 portions, and save the other two in the freezer for later.

GLAZE

Combine 2 cups confectioner’s sugar with 2 or 2 1/2 tablespoons warm water, and 1 tsp vanilla extract or orange (lemon or lime) juice. Tint the glaze in smaller bowls using food coloring. Have fun decorating!

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