Gingerbread Snowflakes With Icing That Hardens Recipes

GINGERBREAD SNOWFLAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and water. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters dipped in flour. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° until edges are firm, 10-12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool., In a small bowl, combine frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a tip; pipe frosting onto cookies in desired designs.

GINGERBREAD SNOWFLAKES

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
• Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
• Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #7). Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour.

GINGERBREAD SNOWFLAKES WITH ICING THAT HARDENS

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare ungreased baking/cookie sheet/s.
• In a large mixing bowl cream the butter with sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes).
• Beat in molasses and water.
• In another bowl combine flour with ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix until well combined.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until easy to handle.
• Lightly flour a work surface.
• Roll out the chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Using star-shaped cookie cutters dipped in flour (about 2-1/2 inches wide) cut out shapes.
• Place the dough stars onto prepared cookie sheet about 2-inches apart.
• Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm.
• Remove to wire racks and cool.
• For the icing; in a bowl combine all icing ingredients until smooth and well combined.
• Transfer to a heavy small plastic bag, then cut a small hole in a corner of the bag.
• Pipe the icing around the edges of the cookies or as desired (the icing will harden upon standing).

GINGERBREAD COOKIE FROSTING

Steps:

• Sift the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Stir in enough milk to make a smooth but not too runny consistency. You may need to adjust with some more sugar. Divide this mixture into small containers, depending on how many colors you want. Color each small container with colors appropriate for the season, using as much food coloring as needed to create desired hues.

GINGERBREAD SNOWFLAKES

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
• Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into three disks of equal size; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes (it only took me about 11 minutes, so be sure to check them often). Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
• If you decide to frost cookies: Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round ti. Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Store cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.

GINGERBREAD SNOWFLAKES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Add flour mixture; mix on low until combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Chill 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On a generously floured piece of parchment, roll dough just under 1/4 inch thick. Brush off excess flour and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Cut dough into snowflake shapes with a 7-inch cookie cutter. Transfer to prepared baking sheets, and freeze until firm, 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until crisp but not darkened, rotating sheets halfway through once and firmly tapping down pan. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• Place icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip (Ateco #7). Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Tap off excess sugar and allow icing to set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
• To create these lacy designs, fill a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip (Ateco #7) with Royal Icing. Pipe a line along each axis, applying a little extra pressure to create a dot. Pipe several dots around center axis. While icing is wet, sprinkle it with fine sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; shake off excess. To package cookies, dry for several hours; remove excess granules with a dry pastry brush.

COOKIE ICING/FROSTING THAT HARDENS

Steps:

• VERY IMPORTANT; the confectioners sugar must be sifted before using.
• In a bowl beat the sifted confectioners sugar with milk until smooth.
• Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until smooth and glossy (if icing is too thick add in a small amount of corn syrup).
• Divide into as many separate bowls as desired.
• Add in different food coloring to each bowl beating/whisking until the intensity is achieved.
• Paint the icing over the cookies using a brush or dip the cookie edges into icing (this will set quite quickly).
• Place cookies on waxed paper to dry.