G Week- Gingerbread Cookies

One of our housemates had requested gingerbread moose cookies for Christmas. This prompted me to find a good recipe for them. My family has discovered that America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated often has the best recipe for baked goods. We are crazy about their chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, and several of their cakes. An online search revealed the Cook's Illustrated gingerbread cookie recipe, found here.

The dough came together quickly and easily. I was quite happy to discover that this recipe doesn't contain eggs, so I could let Trip taste the dough without worrying about the risk of him getting sick. Plus, you have the option of making thick and chewy cookies for eating (which I did) or thin and crispy cookies for ornaments or decorating. The directions have you roll out the dough between parchment paper (I used wax paper), then place it in the freezer or fridge for a while. Taking the time to chill the dough definitely makes for easy cookie cutting and the cookies retain their shape well.

We made some moose as well as a few hedgehogs and squirrels with our cool woodland creatures cookie cutters from Ikea.

 

A few gingerbread men made their way into the mix too.

Next year, maybe we'll try the thin and crispy version and make some ornaments for our tree.