Autumn Cookies

We have been making this special gingerbread cookie with dippable buttercream frosting for years. We like to enjoy them after our lantern walk on Martinmas each year with a cup of spiced cider by the warm fire while we tell stories and enjoy family time. It would also make a great cookie to bring to Thanksgiving parties! It is a tried and true, dependable gingerbread cookie recipe that is crisp and full of flavor with an easy peasy dippable buttercream for no-fuss, delicious frosting. Let’s get started!

Cookie Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• A splash of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1-2 tablespoons of water
• (There is a wide range of spice level. My family likes a LOT of flavor in these cookies, but you can choose to add less based on your family’s preferences)
• 1-3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1-3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1-3 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1-3 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1-3 teaspoons allspice

Frosting Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 stick room temperature butter
• Splash of vanilla
• 1-3 tablespoons of heavy cream (add one T at a time until it reaches desired consistency).
• Add ins for different flavors/colors (optional): turmeric, cinnamon, freeze dried raspberries crushed into a fine powder

Cookie Recipe

Yields a few dozen crisp, delicious gingerbread cookies.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in medium bowl (I always give one little helper the dry ingredients and one little helper the wet ingredients for a more harmonious sibling baking experience).
3. Cream butter and sugar.
4. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients to the creamed butter mixture.
5. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
6. Mold dough into a thick pancake shape and cover with parchment or plastic wrap. Let chill in fridge for at least a few hours.
7. Roll out your dough, cut out those cookies, and bake 8-10 mins on the middle rack of your oven.

Buttercream Recipe

1. Beat room temperature butter and powdered sugar until roughly combined. Add vanilla and one tablespoon of cream at a time until your desired buttercream consistency is reached.
2. If you’re adding ingredients for different flavors/colors, divide buttercream onto three microwaveable dinner plates and mix in your extra ingredients, using your heart to measure. Any dry add in ingredient should work, but our favorites are turmeric, cinnamon and freeze dried fruit. Get creative and experiment if you’d like!
3. When you’re ready to frost your cookies, microwave one flavor at a time for 30 seconds at a time, frosting cookies with that flavor immediately after microwaving. To frost, simply dip your cookie in the microwaved buttercream! If it starts to harden, microwave more as needed.

I hope you and your family enjoy this favorite of ours. We look forward to making and eating them every autumn, and we hope you do, too. Enjoy!