Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (softened)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup molasses (NOT blackstrap)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar OR white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

• 1. Make the cookie dough
• 2. Place the sugar & butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined (you can also do this in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, just be careful so you don't overmix the dough). Add the egg, molasses, vinegar and vanilla extract and beat on medium-low speed until fully combined.
• 3. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients and the gingerbread spices until well combined.
• 4. Add the dry ingredients to the molasses mix. Mix on low speed just until combined into a soft cookie dough.
• 5. Chill the dough
• 6. Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. If you chill it overnight, you may need to let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes so it's easier to roll.
• 7. Cut out cookies
• 8. Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
• 9. Divide the dough in 2 and roll each half to 1/4 of an inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
• 10. Cut out cookies and place them on lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Place similarly sized cookies on the same baking sheet!
• 11. Bake the cookies
• 12. Once you have filled a baking sheet, place it in the oven to bake. Medium-sized cookies take 8-10 minutes to bake. Large gingerbread men take 12-14 minutes to bake. Smaller cookies take 6-8 minutes to bake. They should spring back when you slightly touch their surface, but make sure to not overbake them or they'll turn out tough.
• 13. Cool the baked cookies on a baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.

Nutrition