Gingerbread Cookie with a hint of Orange

Personally not a fan of Gingerbread, but as the Christmas Season is coming, I thought I just have to try making some for the kids.  So, search the net and found this Gingerbread Cookies that include orange zest and decided to give it a try.  I replaced the corn syrup with Molasses to give it a more gingerbread taste. The final product turns out quite nice but I think I did not add enough ginger and orange, so the taste doesn't come out.  Next time, I'm going to put the amount according to the recipe instead of cutting it down.  I then iced the cookies using a mixture of egg white and icing sugar, the frosting was really easy to work with and it drys beautifully.  Add got my boy to help me put the m&ms for the buttons, he have a great time eating the m&ms.....Enjoy!

 

Gingerbread Cookies with a Hint of Orange

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
• 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup (I replace this with molasses)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I obmitted this as I hate the cinnamon smell)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I obmitted this)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 Directions

1. Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the orange peel and dark corn syrup. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and salt, mixing until well combined. Chill dough for at least 2 hours, I like to chill overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are firm and lightly toasted on the edges.

 Royal Icing

 

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

 

1. Beat egg whites in clean, large bowl with mixer at high speed until foamy (use only grade A clean, uncracked eggs). Gradually add sugar and extract. Beat at high speed until thickened.

NOTE: When dry, Royal Icing is very hard and resistant to damage that can occur during shipping/handling.