Gingerbread Cookies And Citrus Sugar 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.

SUPER SIMPLE GINGERBREAD TREE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a stand mixer or a large bowl (with a hand mixer), beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about three minutes.
• Add the egg and molasses and beat until blended, scraping down sides as necessary.
• To a separate medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Mix together.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat just until combined.
• Press the dough together and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour, or up to three days.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Remove disc from fridge and cut into fourths.
• Roll each piece about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to let the dough warm up just a bit, and, depending on your surface, you may need some additional flour to prevent sticking.
• With a knife or cookie cutter, cut the dough into simple triangle tree shapes (see pic above for reference).
• Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, until they're firm and just starting to get golden at edges. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the glaze: mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. It will seem very thick at first but should thin out into a thick drizzle-able consistency. If it does not thin enough, add a bit more lemon juice until the right consistency.
• Drizzle the glaze over the cookies. I place the icing in a Ziploc bag, cut the corner off, and drizzle lines of icing over the cookies that way. Easy peasy.
• Immediately sprinkle on a little sugar before the icing hardens.
• Let sit until icing hardens before storing or assembling on cookie plates. Cookies keep up to one week in an airtight container.