Gingerbread Cookies

So many things can go wrong with Gingerbread Cookies. The dough can be overspiced, underspiced or dry with very little effort on the baker's part. I found the perfect gingerbread cookie recipe from Food Network. The cookies came out perfectly moist and chewy and had a wonderful ginger flavor without being overpowering. Alex Guarnascelli, the baker behind this recipe also offers a recipe for an orange frosting to use with this recipe, but I didn't make that. I instead just used standard white cookie icing on some and left some plain; both tasted great. Just as a general cookie baking suggestion - if you are baking several cookies in one day, don't leave this until the last recipe. Gingerbread cookies by nature are a very labor intensive cookie to make, so make it your first or only cookie when baking.

Gingerbread Cookies

1 1/2 Sticks Lightly Salted Butter, Softened
1 2/3 Cups Sugar
1 Orange, Zested
4 Cups All Purpose Flour (plus extra for rolling)
1 1/2 tspn Baking Powder
1/2 tspn Baking Soda
1 Tbspn Ground Ginger
1/2 tspn Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tspn Ground Allspice
2 tspns Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tspn Ground Cloves
1/2 tspn Kosher Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Dark Molasses
1 Lemon, Juiced

1) In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the butter, sugar and orange zest and beat until smooth - 5 to 8 minutes

2) Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, dry ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Whisk to blend. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, molasses and lemon juice.

3) Preheat Oven to 350
4) When the butter and sugar are integrated, lower the speed of the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Add the egg mixture and when blended, remove the bowl from the machine. Divide the cookie dough in half.

5) Press the first half of the dough in between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second half. This step will make it easier to finish rolling out the dough when it has chilled. It will also mean you only have half of the dough getting warm as you roll it.
6) Lightly flour a flat surface. Use a floured rolling pin to gently roll the first half of the dough about 1/2-inch thick. Lightly flour the cookie cutter(s) and cut the shapes, making as few scraps as possible. Use a metal spatula to gently transfer them, cookie by cookie, (the cookies should be similar size) to a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough and transfer them to another baking sheet.
7) Bake until brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.