With the holidays right around the corner, there's no better time of the year than right now to start your holiday baking. Serve these adorable and
delicious snowflake gingerbread cookies at your winter wedding or bridal shower. Recipe courtesy of
Martha Stewart.{This recipe makes 16 cookies}
Ingredients 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses
Icing - Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #7). Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Store cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.
Enjoy!
Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart.
If you're looking for a way to give back this holiday season, why not donate your wedding gown to a great cause?! After all, most women have their gowns preserved and then the gown is boxed up for the next 30+ years only to be taken out once, maybe twice in their lifetime. So, unless your planning on having a 'Trash the Dress' photo session or passing your gown down to a relative or future generation, then do you really need to hang on to your gown forever?! Probably not! Brides Against Breast Cancer is a charity that helps grant wishes to women suffering from terminal breast cancer. Your gown is sold to another bride-to-be and the proceeds from that sale, go directly to the women and their families. For instructions on how to donate your gown, click here. Your donation, including shipping costs is 100% tax-deductible.
