Gingerbread Shortbread
A buttery, rich gingerbread cookie with molasses, spices, and brown butter
Servings 16
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 sticks butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups AP flour
Instructions
- Heat butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until melted and beginning to turn golden brown.
- Remove from heat and add molasses, fresh ginger, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, heavy cream, and vanilla.
- Pour brown butter mixture into a heat-proof bowl and chill in the freezer for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until butter is the texture of a regular stick of butter left out at room temperature.
- Transfer butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add brown sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Turn mixer speed down to low and add the salt and flour. Mix just until combined.
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll your dough into a large rectangle until it's 3/4" thick.
- Cut out 12-16 gingerbread shortbreads with a gingerbread man cookie cutter. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and place sheet tray of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes until firm.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes until slightly golden brown and firm. Let chill and eat plain or coated in royal icing.
Notes
- The dough will clump into a ball when it's ready to remove from the stand mixer.
- Your dough shouldn't stick because of the high butter content. If it does, add a little flour at a time to the work surface.
- The texture of your butter, once fully chilled, should be thick and slightly hard to mix, yet malleable.