‘Tis the season!
This deliciously spicy, beer-infused gingerbread cookie recipe is sure to be a hit around the holidays! Bake them for your friends, for your family, for your mortal enemies, or for yourself — hey man, #selfcare. Host a full-on cookie decorating party and task your friends with messiest part — the decorating! No matter who you share with, level up your merry-making by baking up a batch!
cookie INGREDIENTS
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ginger
½ tablespoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅓ cup room-temperature butter
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup molasses
¼ cup Not My Gumdrop Buttons! Imperial Stout
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest
Royal Icing INGREDIENTS
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 egg white
1 tablespoon Not My Gumdrop Buttons! Imperial Stout
½ teaspoon orange zest
Directions
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine and set aside.
PRO TIP: Unless you’re actually baking these for your mortal enemies, be sure to sift your flour and spices! Baking spices stick together and without sifting them, your bites might be unevenly spicy!
In the bowl of your stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, add butter and brown sugar. Beat the mixture until light and fluffy, about five minutes on medium speed. In a small separate bowl mix the molasses, beer, vanilla, and orange zest, and set aside.
PRO TIP: What’s with the orange zest? Glad you asked! Orange is a classic holiday flavor and helps balance the spiciness of this cookie with a pop of fresh acidity!
Upon achieving a light and fluffy butter-sugar mixture, add your egg — mixing only to incorporate!
Ready to get weird? Once your egg is incorporated, add the molasses-beer mixture from your small separate bowl. Adding liquid will cause the batter to split — but mix until it’s light brown in color and somewhat put together (like me!). The flour addition in the next step will bring the dough back together, keeping cookie spirits merry and bright!
Now add the dry ingredients one cup at a time. The flour will bring the split mixture back together and after your third addition you will have a smooth and sticky dough.
Split the dough into three parts, wrap in plastic wrap, press into a flattened disk, and chill for at least two hours — or even better, overnight!
Once your dough has finished refrigerating, preheat your oven to 375 F. Assemble an army of your favorite cookie cutters, some all-purpose flour, a rolling pin, and some sheet trays lined with parchment paper.
On your favorite clean and sanitized work surface, sprinkle some base flour, plop your unwrapped dough disk down, sprinkle more flour over the top, and roll out to 1/8-inch thick. Work quickly to cut your shapes, then place them on your cookie sheet. You can re-roll out any scraps of dough and repeat the process, but the warmer the dough becomes, the more difficult it will be to work with.
PRO TIP: Once you fill up a tray place in the fridge for 15 minutes to set before baking. This will help your ginger-folk retain a sharp shape!
Bake your chilled cookies for 7-10 minutes or until lightly brown around edges. Once out of the oven, let them sit on the tray until firm enough to move, then transfer to a wire cooling rack until you’re ready to decorate.
It’s time to make your icing! In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment, mix the sifted powdered sugar, egg white, and beer until thick and glossy. Transfer to a piping back and decorate your cookies any way you’d like. My favorite way to decorate is with a beer in hand- I mean come on, we didn’t use the whole bottle, right?!
Gingerbread is a holiday classic that is often over-looked or forgotten. By reinventing this cookie with delicious beer and seasonal ingredients, we can give a classic cookie some new life! Enjoy the heck out of these cookies and the amazing beer, Not My Gumdrop Buttons! It’s on draft in the Tasting Room this weekend!