Ingredients
- 3/4 C heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/4 C firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2/3 C light molasses
- 1 Tbs soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp grated lemon peel
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4-1/2 C unbleached flour, unsifted
- Cold water + pastry brush
- White/colored decorating icing (recipe follows)
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Using a stand or electric hand mixer, beat the cream until very soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar, molasses, soda, ginger, cinnamon, lemon peel, and salt. Using low setting, gradually stir in the flour, mixing well after each addition. Let dough stand, covered, about 30 minutes or until easy to handle. You can chill the dough overnight, then allow it to return to room temperature before cutting/shaping.
On a lightly floured pastry cloth or board, roll out dough to a bit thicker than 1/8”. Cut with large cookie cutters, freehand with a knife, or knife with cardboard template (about 5” maximum dimension).
Arrange cookies about 1” apart on prepared cookie sheets. Brush each lightly with cold water using a pastry brush. Bake in 350 oven for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly browned.
Transfer to racks or wax paper to cool. Store airtight up to 2 weeks at room temp. Serve plain or decorate with icing. Makes about 3 dozen cookies of average size.
Icing:
2 egg whites
2-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
In a large bowl and using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they are frothy and slightly thickened. Add the sifted sugar into the whites ½ cup at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Continue to beat for about 5 minutes or until stiff icing is formed. Add a small round decorating tip to a pastry bag and work with 1 cup of the icing at a time.