Gingerbreadmenpepperidgefarmcopycatbytoddwilbur Recipes

THE BEST GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves in a large bowl.
• Mix the butter, shortening, brown sugar and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the egg. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and pat to 1/2-inch thick. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to 1/4-inch thick, dusting with flour if needed. Cut into 3- to 5-inch cookies with a gingerbread man cutter or desired shape. Brush off the excess flour and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
• Bake the cookies in batches until they are golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
• For the royal icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar with the meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in 6 tablespoons of water until well combined and you have stiff glossy peaks, adding 1 tablespoon more water at a time to reach a smooth pipeable consistency. Mix in food coloring as desired. Fill pastry bags fitted with tips. Decorate the gingerbread cookies with the icing.

PEPPERIDGE FARM GINGERMAN COPYCATS, REVISED

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Cream together sugars, shortening, molasses, eggs, and vanilla & beat with a mixer until smooth & uniform.
• Add remaining dry ingredients (except decoration items), scraping the bowl as you go.
• If you choose to make round drop cookies, use the batter as is and scoop out with a TBSP cookie scoop onto greased pan, about 2-3 inches apart.
• If you want to make cookie cutter shapes, add extra flour to the bowl 1/4 cup at a time until dough is stiff and clears the side of the bowl. Roll out on a heavily floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Roll out to approximately 1/4 inch thick & cut with the cutters. Then place onto greased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes. (These bake best with only one or two sheets in at a time. If you are making a lot, use two "shifts" of two cookies sheets.).
• Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. This will prevent the bottom of your cookies from sinking through the spaces in the rack.
• Sprinkle with decorative sugar while still slightly warm.