Old Virginia Gingerbread Cookies are adapted from the many recipes that I came across when I lived in Colonial Williamsburg. Some ingredients in these recipes are interesting, but I wanted easy, and I wanted to use butter. Simply searching out what ingredient does what helped me make a recipe that turned out spicy and easy enough to roll and cut, or just pinch off into balls which baked wonderfully round and delicious.
It’s my rule not to taste cookie dough once the flour is added, but I couldn’t help it, and you’ll see why when you start to put this together. They were perfect. If you roll and cut, the flour on top will give you an old-fashioned cookie look, or you can sprinkle with powdered sugar.
As you mix things together, the gingerbread may look like it doesn’t have enough flour to pick up and roll, but try it. In this photo, I had not added any more flour.
The dough should not stick to your fingers, however, it will be soft. Pinch some dough off and you’ll see that you can roll it. If it’s too sticky add a tablespoon more of flour. Try again.
Old Virginia Gingerbread Cookies
Butter: I used unsalted, but I would assume that salted is fine also. Make sure your butter is softened. I do this for about 10 seconds, twice, in the microwave.
Sugar:I debated whether or not I should try brown sugar in this. Since brown sugar has molasses and this recipe has plenty of that, I opted for white sugar. I normally use a combination of both.
Spices:While it may be tempting to use a pre-made gingerbread spice, this recipe really comes alive with the separate combinations of ginger, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Soda and Powder: I used a combination of these as I wasn’t sure about the rising. 1 tsp. of baking powder to 2 tsp. of baking soda ended up being perfect to the rise I wanted. You can reduce the baking powder to 1/2 tsp. if desired.
Flour: I used unbleached, all-purpose. If you roll the cookies out to cut, you’ll need to have a well-floured surface as the dough is very soft.
Make the scoops bigger for BIG gingerbread cookies that your little ones will sparkle over!
Milk: I used 1/2-1/2. You can use evaporated milk.
Molasses: I used unsulfured. Any good brand works. I used Golden Barrel, Blackstrap.
Roll the dough into 1 1/2″ balls and press flat onto a parchment-lined or silicone lined cookie sheet. Press the gingerbread dough into a flat circle.
Bake 8-10 minutes. I did a touch test after 8 minutes to see if there was spring back on the cookie. You’ll want to take them out at 8 minutes if they spring back. They smelled wonderful! The whole house smelled like gingerbread. The cookies are crisp on the edges, but soft and chewy on the inside.
Enjoy! This has become my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe!
Theresa
Yield: 70 Cookies
Old Virginia Gingerbread Cookies
Old Virginia Gingerbread Cookies is a recipe I adapted from the time I lived in Williamsburg, VA. This recipe is a large batch, easily cut in half if desired.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Ingredients
8 c. unbleached flour
3 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. cream or milk
1 1/4 c. black unsulphured molasses
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment or silicone liner.
Whisk flour, spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a separate bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Add the molasses and milk. Cream again.
Add the flour mixture in parts, mixing after each addition.
The dough should be soft but not stick to your fingers. If it's too sticky, mix 1 TBSP more of flour until it's easier to handle, but be careful or you'll have dry dough. I'm at high altitude, and 8 cups was perfect.
Pinch off a 1 1/2" ball, roll and press flat with two fingers.
Bake between 8-10 minutes, testing after 8 minutes.
On Joyous Home, you’ll find everything from food to handiwork, homeschooling to grace-filled living. Along with my daughter, Jessica, we love publishing and blogging about homemaking. We are children of Christ, and imperfect wives and homemakers. We’re happy you’re here!
There are a few things you can do if your cookie dough is too dry and crumbly. First, try adding more liquid to the dough. This could be milk, water, or even just additional eggs. If that doesn't work, you could also try melting some butter and adding it to the dough.
“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”
From doubling up on molasses to using too much flour, there is a lot that can go wrong. Forgetting the molasses resulted in a crumbly cookie that was light in color. Combining all ingredients at once created lumps in the finished product.
If your dough is too crumbly: mix in 1 tbsp of milk until the dough is soft and pliable again. Be sure to chill your dough for at least 3 hours. This will help the flavor of the dough and consistency so it doesn't spread when baking.
This may seem obvious, but don't just dump more water into your bread dough. To incorporate more water into the mixture, add only 1 tablespoon of additional liquid at a time, kneading the dough just until it comes together.
The challenge was for me to find a perfectly moist and tender texture. I played with the liquid ingredients, milk and melted butter, and added freshly brewed coffee too. Use strong coffee and it will also enhance the deep flavors of the cake.
Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate and acidic salts. The reaction of these two ingredients results in a cookie that is soft and thick, but slightly harder.
An excessive amount of butter makes it where the flour is unable to absorb the combined fat, which causes the cookie to spread too widely and the sugar to carbonize more easily because it's surrounded by too buttery a dough.
Choose unsulfured molasses when possible, since sulfur dioxide can leave an unpleasant, chemical-like aftertaste, according to Smith. “Unsulfured molasses is derived from processed mature sugar cane,” she said. “It's rich in flavor with a smoky depth. The most natural.
The deep, caramel-like sweetness of molasses pairs perfectly with the warm spices of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, creating the iconic flavor profile of these classic treats. The choice of molasses over other sweeteners adds a depth and complexity that elevates gingerbread to a cherished holiday tradition.
Divide the dough into two thick disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours. (The dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.) To roll out the cookies, work with one disk at a time, keeping the other disk refrigerated.
Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they'll be. For soft gingerbread cookies, follow my suggested bake times. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.
Just melt the sugar in a pan over low heat. You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it!
Using too much flour will make your cookies too cakey, so try reducing the flour amount by two tablespoons. Avoid using cake flour instead; try a mix of all-purpose flour and bread flour for a more dense and chewy texture.
Use a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar. Brown sugar contains molasses, which adds moisture to the cookie dough and helps create a softer texture. Use melted butter instead of room-temperature butter. Melted butter incorporates more easily into the dough, creating a more cohesive and pliable dough.
You may notice visible pockets of flour, streaks of butter, or uneven coloration. When overmixed, though, cookie dough will feel dense, greasy, heavy, and warm. It may be tough to roll out or work with, just like overmixed pie dough.
Overbaking: If you bake your cookies for too long, they can become dry and hard. Make sure to check your cookies frequently as they bake and remove them from the oven when they are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
Introduction: My name is Edwin Metz, I am a fair, energetic, helpful, brave, outstanding, nice, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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