German Christmas Cookies

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (210 g)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda (3 g)
• ½ teaspoon fine salt (3 g)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (5 g)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (2 g)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (1 g)
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (113 g)
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (150 g)
• ¼ cup unsulphured molasses (85 g)
• 1 large egg (50 g)
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (6 g)
• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar, optional (25 g)
• 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g)
• 2 tablespoons orange juice (30 g)

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl until no spice clumps remain. Set aside while you combine the wet ingredients in another bowl.
2. Cream and combine. Beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until smooth. Beat in egg and orange zest, scrape bowl, then add dry ingredients in two additions on low speed. Mix only until a thick dough forms.
3. Chill the dough. Divide dough in half and press each piece into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap disks and refrigerate 45 minutes, until firm enough to roll without sticking heavily. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
4. Roll and cut. Roll one disk on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut shapes, transfer to prepared sheets, and reroll scraps once. Refrigerate cut sheets 10 minutes so the dough is firm before baking.
5. Bake the cookies. Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating once, until tops are dry and edges are set. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a rack.
6. Finish and store. Sprinkle coarse sugar on water-brushed cutouts before baking, if desired. For glaze, stir powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth, then drizzle over cooled cookies. Let glaze dry completely before stacking or packing.

Notes

• Chill time is built into the recipe because the dough becomes easier to roll and cut cleanly after resting.
• Coarse sugar is optional, but it gives undecorated cookies a crisp, finished surface. Apply it before baking with the lightest water brush.
• Glaze only fully cooled cookies. If it thickens while you work, add orange juice one drop at a time rather than thinning it quickly.

Nutrition Facts