Do you have one of those traditions that really makes it feel like Christmas? I didn’t realize it until today, but for me it is baking gingerbread cookies.
With 2020 being one of the crudiest years on record, we decided to break our “no Christmas before Thanksgiving” rule and decorated early. By the second week of November, our house look like a Christmas kitsch bomb went off. The trees were up, the garland hung, every piece of kitsch we could find was on display and ready to collect dust.
Yet, with all the technicolor Christmas splendor, it still didn’t really feel like Christmas. My larger immediate family decided not to get together this year in the name of “doing our part for the pandemic,” so that meant I wasn’t baking a gazillion cookies or making a bunch of sweets and candy this week like I normally would. Until today.
My morning started with making pizza dough, baking a loaf of bread and two different kinds of cake (for our Christmas dessert). And that doesn’t include the chocolate cheesecake I made yesterday afternoon. I thought I was done, and then my husband suggested I make some cookies to take to the neighbors. Their adorable 4-year-old keeps bringing us Christmas cookies she decorated, so it only seemed fitting to reciprocate. So back into the kitchen I went.
I made a large batch of my Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies which my daughter wanted to split between the neighbors and Santa. I also made my Jumbo Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies–one of my holiday favorites!
It wasn’t until the house smelled like warm Gingerbread that I realized what had been missing. Smelling the amazing blend of spices, made it finally feel like Christmas. I didn’t know how badly I was missing this final piece of the puzzle.
I have been making these Jumbo Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies FOR.EV.ER. I have had the recipe for so long, I no longer remember where I got it. I think I found it in a newspaper or magazine close to 25 years ago, so trust me when I tell you it is tried and true!
These cookies are clearly a big part of my holiday celebration, and it doesn’t feel like Christmas without them. I hope they will also become one of your traditions too!
Jumbo Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy12
servings10
minutes45
minutesThe warm spices of gingerbread always make it feel like Christmas in our home. There is something about the smell that is like heaven. These jumbo cookies are soft, chewy and perfect on a winter’s day. I love them with hot chocolate, but they are equally wonderful with coffee, tea or a tall glass of milk.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for coating
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsoldered molasses
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside.
- In a large bowl beat butter, shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add egg and molasses to butter mixture. Beat on low until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Slowly add flour and spice mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until a thick, smooth dough forms.
- Measure out 1/4 cup dough and roll into a ball. Roll through sugar and place on prepared cooking sheet. Repeat, placing each dough ball about 3 inches apart. You should be able to fit 4-6 cookies per baking sheet, depending on the size of the sheet.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 22 minutes. Repeat with second sheet.
- Cook for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
- Always use real butter! No margarine.
