Gingerbread Cut Out Dough Recipes

CLASSIC GINGERBREAD CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and eggs. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger; beat into the molasses mixture. Gradually stir in the remaining flour by hand to form a stiff dough.
• Divide dough into 2 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar. Blend in egg whites. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat for about 5 minutes, or until mixture is thick and stiff. Keep covered with a moist cloth until ready to frost cookies.

GINGERBREAD CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle, about 4 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake until edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Tint some of the frosting red and some green; leave remaining frosting plain. Decorate cookies.

GINGERBREAD CUT-OUT DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix the flour, sugars, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and cloves in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. With the mixer speed on low, begin adding the butter. Allow the mixture to blend until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixer looks sandy, up to 4 minutes. The ingredients should hold together when clumped in your hand. Add the molasses and vanilla to the butter-flour mixture and mix on low until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead it about 20 to 25 times until smooth. If the dough is sticky, add a sprinkling of flour until it no longer sticks to your hands. Divide the dough in half.
• Working with one half at a time, roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (see Cook's Note). Use a VERY light sprinkling of flour on the dough if it is sticking to the parchment. Repeat with the second portion of dough. Chill the rolled dough on baking sheets until firm, about 2 hours in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut out gingerbread shapes and place the cookies on half sheet pans lined with parchment. Bake until the edges and center feel set and the centers puff slightly, rotating the pans from back to front and top to bottom about 8 minutes into baking, 11 to 12 minutes total for medium-sized 3-inch cookies (see Cook's Note). Allow to cool completely before removing from the parchment.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix the shortening, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until a smooth paste forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, molasses and vinegar and mix on low until combined. Scrape down the bowl and mix, about 30 seconds more. Add about half of the flour and mix on low until combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until smooth. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead until smooth, sprinkling the work surface and dough lightly with flour if sticky. Divide the dough in half.
• Working with one half at a time, roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper until it is 1/4 inch thick, sprinkling it with flour if it starts to get sticky. (Don't go too thin! I place 1/4-inch dowels on either side of my dough to ensure that it is evenly rolled out.) Repeat with the second portion of dough. Chill the rolled dough on baking sheets until the dough feels chilled and is slightly firm, about 1 hour in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer. (Alternately you can wrap both pieces of dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight before rolling.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the basic gingerbread house template, cut out the following patterns: One rectangle panel measuring 7 x 5.5 inches for the sides of the house (you will use this twice). One rectangle panel measuring 8.5 x 6 inches for the front and back roof panels side (you will use this twice). And, one piece measuring 6 inches wide at the base, 6 inches to the roof line and slanted to a peak 9 inches from the bottom for the ends of the house (you will use this twice).
• For the advanced gingerbread house mansion, make 2 more batches of dough. For the advanced gingerbread house mansion template, cut out the following patterns: One rectangle panel measuring 10 x 8.75 inches for the front and back of the house (you will use this twice). One rectangle panel measuring 11 x 6.5 inches for the front and back roof panels (you will use this twice). And, one piece measuring 9 inches wide at the base, 9 inches to the roof line and slanted to a peak 12 inches from the bottom for the ends and center support of the house (you will use this three times).
• Plus, one piece measuring 2 inches wide, 2 inches to the low slant line and 3.25 inches to the high slant line for the sides of the chimney (you will use this twice). One small rectangle panel measuring 2 x 3.25 inches for the front chimney panel. And, one small square panel measuring 2 x 2 inches for the back chimney panel.
• Plus, one piece measuring 4 inches wide at the base, 5 inches to the lowest roof line and 7 inches to the highest roof line for the extra room (you will use this twice). One square panel measuring 4.5 x 4.5 inches for the extra room wall. And, one rectangle panel measuring 5.5 x 5 inches for the extra room roof.
• Plus, one triangle measuring 4 inches at the base and 1.5 inches high at the center peak for the front porch. One small rectangle panel measuring 1.5 x 3 inches for the front porch roof panels (you will use this twice). One small rectangle panel measuring 2 x 0.5 inches for the flower box panels (you will use this eight times). And, one rectangle panel measuring 2 x 3.25 inches for the front door.
• Use the gingerbread templates and a sharp chef's knife or craft knife to cut out the pieces, rerolling the scraps as needed. Leave about 1/2 inch between each piece. I like to cut the pieces directly on the parchment and then peel away the scraps to avoid moving the cut pieces.
• For the basic gingerbread house: From one of the pieces with the peaked roof (this will be the front of the house), use a square or rectangular cutter to make a door and a round cutter to make a center window above, cutting straight down and leaving the perforated pieces in while the dough bakes.
• For the advanced gingerbread house mansion: From the side panels of the house, use a round cutter to make a center window, and from the front and back of the house, use a square or rectangular cutter to make windows, cutting straight down and leaving the perforated pieces in while the dough bakes.
• To make the trees, use tree-shaped cookie cutters or a tree template to cut out trees in pairs. Use a sharp paring knife or a craft knife to cut one tree in each pair in half. Use a round cutter to cut out one circle per pair to use as the base of the tree.
• Bake until the centers are firm to the touch, rotating the pans back to front and top to bottom during the last 10 minutes of baking, 25 to 28 minutes total (20 to 25 minutes for the smaller pieces). For the extra-large pieces for the advanced gingerbread house mansion, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Don't be afraid to bake the gingerbread a few minutes longer if you are unsure--we need these pieces to be strong!
• While the dough is still warm, use the cutters or a paring knife to remove the doors and windows to achieve a clean cut. Transfer the parchment with the gingerbread house pieces to a flat surface and allow to cool completely before removing from the parchment. For larger or more detailed houses it is helpful to allow the baked gingerbread to rest uncovered overnight.
• For the advanced gingerbread house mansion: To make the windows, separate the hard candies by color and use a rolling pin to gently crush them in a resealable plastic bag. Transfer the candies to separate silicone baking cups or microwave-safe bowls and microwave on high in 20-second increments, stirring with a skewer in between, until melted, 30 to 60 seconds. Place a clean piece of parchment under each window, then pour the melted candy into the window holes and let cool, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a cutter of your choice to gently press a design into the windows and let cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Assemble the gingerbread house or mansion and decorative elements as directed and allow the icing to dry completely overnight before decorating.

CHRISTINA'S GINGERBREAD DOUGH

Steps:

• Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
• In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, powdered sugar, dark brown sugar, and molasses. Mix on low speed, just until smooth, trying not to incorporate too much air.
• Add the flour mixture all at once, and mix on low to medium-low speed. As this begins to mix, add the 1/4 cup of cooled coffee. Watch closely as the dough begins to come together. If it looks and feels dry and crumbly, begin to add the remaining coffee, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed. The dough should be firm, but evenly moist.
• Alternatively, this dough can be mixed by hand. If you choose to do this, add the flour mixture in 3 or 4 batches, instead of all at once, to the sugar and shortening mixture. Add the coffee, a little at a time, along with the flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into 2 flattened rectangles. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place into an air-tight container or zip-top plastic bag. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before rolling and cutting. The dough keeps for 4 days, refrigerated.
• If dough has been chilled for longer than 1 to 2 hours, allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or foil, or very lightly grease.
• Working with 1 piece of the chilled dough at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 3/8-inch thick (small, decorative pieces may be rolled thinner; pieces that will need to provide support may be rolled thicker). Transfer to prepared baking sheets, then cut to desired shapes using templates that have been lightly floured. Cut out desired shapes (use templates and lightly flour them before placing on the dough and cutting). If cutting windows, doors, etc., start by cutting them first, then cut the overall shape. This prevents distortion of the pieces. Keep similar sized pieces on each sheet for even baking. If you have the refrigerator space, a brief chilling at this point (15 minutes) will help the dough hold its shape in the oven, but this step is optional.
• Lightly brush or spray the surface with water and bake 15 minutes for medium to large pieces (7 to 10 minutes for smaller pieces). Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. With a sharp knife, carefully re-cut the hot gingerbread (using your templates) if any spreading occurred. Remove all scraps from the tray.
• Return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes more, even longer for very large or thick pieces, until dark brown, but not burned. You must bake gingerbread for houses much longer than you would bake cookies. It must be very dry throughout, and quite dark in color. The low oven temperature helps to keep the browning even, as opposed to dark around the edges. As oven temperatures will vary, check the pieces during the second baking frequently. If they are browning too quickly, lower the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Loosen the pieces from the tray with a thin spatula and continue to cool on the tray until firm. Remove the pieces from the tray and allow them to cool on a wire rack for several hours before assembling your house.

GINGERBREAD DOUGH

Steps:

• Whisk all the dry ingredients together thoroughly and set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar together in the bowl of a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, molasses, and water and beat until well combined.
• Beat half of the flour mixture into the mixer until blended and smooth. Add the remaining flour mixture and then knead the dough until firm and manageable, but not dry. Add more flour if the dough is wet.
• Place the dough in a sealable container or zip-top bag in a cool place for up to 2 hours. If you make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it, bring to room temperature before working the dough.
• When ready to roll out the dough, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray your cookie sheets with nonstick spray.
• Roll out dough and cut into desired shapes, working in small batches and keeping the remaining dough in an airtight container so that it does not dry out. Bake for 11 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. The gingerbread will be light brown when it is done. Let cool before icing.
• Combine egg white and powdered sugar in a microwaveable bowl and microwave until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. The best way to do this is to microwave the mixture on high power, stopping every 20 seconds to take the temperature; it will take about 2 minutes and 40 seconds, but cook time will vary based on microwaves. Make sure to use clean utensils each time you check the icing. The other option is to microwave the mixture for 45 seconds on high, but the consistency will not be as good.
• Beat on high speed until the icing cools and holds a stiff peak, about 2 minutes. If the icing needs to be thicker, add up to 2/3 cup more sugar; you will probably need to add about 1/3 cup more sugar. Food coloring can be added, if desired. Work with the icing in small amounts, keeping the remaining icing in an airtight container, as it will dry quickly.
• Beat all ingredients together in the bowl of a mixer until stiff peaks form. Food coloring can be added, if desired. Work with the icing in small amounts, keeping the remaining icing in an airtight container, as it will dry quickly. The icing can be re-beaten if necessary.