Citrus Gingerbread Cookies Recipes

CITRUS GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine sugar, honey and molasses. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Let stand 20 minutes. Stir in butter; let stand 20 minutes longer., Beat in egg. In another bowl, whisk flour, almonds, baking powder, lemon zest, orange zest and spices; gradually beat into sugar mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 8 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into three portions. Roll each portion to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. tree-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray., Bake 7-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients; brush over cookies. Let stand until set., To Make Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days in advance. Wrap in plastic and place in a resealable bag. Store in the refrigerator., Freeze option: Freeze undecorated cookies in freezer containers. To use, thaw in covered containers and decorate as directed.

GINGER-LEMON COOKIES

Steps:

• Set the oven at 325 degrees.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• In an electric mixer, cream the butter with the 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar.
• When the mixture is smooth, beat in the egg, lemon rind, and vanilla.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt.
• With the mixer set on its lowest speed, add the dry ingredients to the batter.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until well chilled.
• With floured hands, using heaping teaspoons of the dough to form balls, roll them until smooth.
• Arrange them 2-inches apart on the baking sheets.
• Put the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl.
• Dip the bottom of a glass first in cold water, then in sugar and press the balls to flatten them to a 1/3-inch thickness.
• Bake the cookies for 18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
• Cool on wire racks.
• Store in an airtight container.

THE MOST WONDERFUL GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.
• In a large bowl (KitchenAid's great for this) beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
• Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
• Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
• Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 deg. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
• (Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. Return to room temp before using.) Preheat oven to 375°.
• Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
• Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.
• Roll dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick.
• Use additional flour to avoid sticking.
• Cut out cookies with desired cutter-- the ginger bread man is our favorite of course.
• Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.
• Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies-- very good!).
• Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
• After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.
• I usually brush them with a powdered sugar glaze when I am in a hurry, but they look wonderful decorated with Royal icing.

GINGERBREAD AMARETTI COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Crumble almond paste into a food processor; add sugar, baking cocoa and spices. Pulse until combined. Add egg whites and molasses; process until smooth., Drop by tablespoonfuls into pearl sugar; roll to coat. Place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until set, 10-12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.