Depending upon which cookie cutter I use, I can get 3 1/2 dozen large “people” or 10 dozen smaller cookies from this particular recipe.
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
5 3/4 to 6 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 /3 teaspoon each of cinnamon and cloves
1 1/4 teaspoons of ginger
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 cup of honey
1/2 cup of molasses (for stronger flavor and additional nutrition, use blackstrap molasses)
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 large egg, beaten
chopped nuts, candies, or currants
Sift together the dry ingredients. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the honey, molasses, and vinegar, heating until bubbly. Cool the honey mixture and add it, together with the beaten egg, to the dry ingredients. Beat this batter well and chill it for at least 2 hours (the mixture will be sticky). When the dough is thoroughly chilled, divide it into roughly 8 sections. To make thin, crisp cookies, roll one section at a time to about 1/16″. If you’d prefer chewy cookies, roll the sections to about 1/8″. Cut shapes with the cookie cutters — or freehand, if you prefer, using a sharp knife. Decorate your creations with chopped nuts, candies, or currants, and place them — nearly touching — on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350°F, watching carefully to see that they don’t burn. Finally, remove the finished cookies to cooling racks, and package them in tins when they’re thoroughly cool.
For more recipe ideas, seeGiving Baked Gifts.
