Many gingerbread recipes call for nutmeg and other spices.
Gingerbread cookies are round sweets made from gingerbread dough. Gingerbread cutouts can also be considered a variety of gingerbread cookies. Gingerbread cookies, which are extra-crispy cookies made from gingerbread dough, are another popular type of gingerbread cookie.
The basic gingerbread dough recipe uses the ingredients and methods common to making many other types of cookies, with one exception. The main difference is that gingerbread cookies have a spicy flavor. Powdered or crystallized ginger, as well as a bit of pepper, set these cookies apart from most other types. Gingerbread cookie recipes differ in the spices used, but many call for nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and/or allspice. These spices, in addition to ginger and pepper, are usually mixed with other more typical dry ingredients such as flour, baking soda and salt.
Ginger extract is made from raw ginger and can be used to flavor cookies.
As with other cookie dough recipes, the dry ingredients are initially kept separate from the sugar and fat. Butter or oil is mixed with brown sugar in many gingerbread recipes. Molasses, vanilla, and beaten eggs are usually mixed into the cream mixture. The dry ingredients can then be gradually added to the sugar and molasses mixture so the baker can ensure the dough is well mixed after each addition. Some bakers like to use light white sugar instead of dark molasses when making gingerbread cookies to create a lighter colored dough; others prefer a darker, richer looking result.
After the cookie dough is made, it’s ready to be shaped into balls and flattened with the bottom of a glass, or rolled out and cut with gingerbread cutters. The thickness of the gingerbread dough balls and the cooking time help determine the result. The gingerbread cookies should be very thin and baked long enough for them to have a very crisp texture. They are usually smaller in size than cake-shaped gingerbread cookies and round gingerbread cookies.
A soft gingerbread cookie recipe, like a cake, may call for a slightly drier dough. When this type of dough is rolled into a ball and flattened, it often creates a crispy top appearance after baking. These types of gingerbread cookies may include a sprinkle of powdered sugar or icing, which is sprinkled on top of them after baking. Another method is to roll gingerbread dough balls in granulated white sugar before flattening and baking to create a crispy outer layer.