A Little Cookie Party: Stave One

The worst part about Christmas is the inevitable bankruptcy it will drive you to. The best part of Christmas are the gifts and confections. When you live in a studio apartment it's hard to get everyone in your life together, so instead I have individuals over to help me bake and get baked. Rather than buy people anything I just send them home with way too many cookies, I imagine most of them end up in the trash but it's the thought that counts, I guess. 

I'm obsessed with these cookie cutters I got last year. Since I was a big ol' post-break up Grinch last Christmas I didn't get a chance to put these guys to use until this year. They've been getting a work out. I think they're supposed to look old but really they're new and I got them on sale at T.J. Maxx. I really don't care for plastic cookie cutters, but these metal ones really get the job done. 

Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies

I've been sitting on this recipe for a few years now but for some reason felt really intimidated by the molasses it calls for. I'm not sure why I thought molasses was some sort of baking challenge, it's not even expensive or hard to find. I will say it tastes and smells like diesel fuel but it does make a quality cookie. Interesting to few, but this recipe doesn't contain eggs, in case any of your cookie party guests have IBS. 

you will need the following: 

3 1/2 c flour 

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt 

1 tbsp pie spice 

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks room temperature butter

1/2 c brown sugar 

1 c molasses 

1/4 c cream 

for frosting 

1 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tbsp cream 

Step 1: In one bowl mix dry ingredients together. In another bowl cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy. 

Step 2: Add cup of molasses to butter mixture and again stir until fluffy. Once sufficiently fluffed, slowly add flour mix in small doses. Upon adding final bit of flour, add in cream and mix until smooth. Add more cream if you're drunk. Wrap dough in plastic and chill in fridge for at least two hours. (or 30 minutes in the freezer if you're almost out of wine)

Step 3: Divide dough and roll out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Roll to about 1/4" thickness and use cookie cutters to punch out shapes. This recipe makes approximately a fuck-ton of cookies depending on the size of your cookie cutters. 

Step 4: Make frosting by mixing powdered sugar, vanilla and cream. If you're too basic to have pastry bags (like myself) take a sandwich baggy and fill it with frosting. You can cut the tip out of one of the corners and ice cooled cookies. Allow frosting to dry for easy store-n-stack