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Gingerbread
Cookies: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking
soda, and spices.
In the bowl of your electric
stand mixer,
fitted with the paddle attachment,
(or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add
the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides
and bottom of your bowl as needed. Gradually add the flour
mixture beating until incorporated.
Divide the dough
in half and then roll each half
between two sheets of lightly floured parchment or wax paper until it is about 1/4 inch (.5 cm)
thick. As you roll, periodically check the top and bottom sheets of parchment
and smooth out any wrinkles. Place dough on a baking sheet (along with the
parchment paper) and place in the refrigerator until firm (this will take at
least two hours or overnight).
Once chilled,
remove from refrigerator and peel off the top piece of parchment paper. Use a
floured cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the
cut out cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 1
inch (2.5 cm) apart. Place the baking sheet with the unbaked cookies in the
refrigerator to chill while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees
C).
Bake the cookies
for about 10 - 14 minutes depending on the
size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 - 10 minutes, larger cookies
will take about 12-14 minutes. They are done when they are firm to the
touch and the edges
are just beginning to brown.
Remove from the
oven and place your baking sheet on a wire rack. Let the cookies cool for a
couple of minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool
completely.
Glaze:
Place the sifted confectioners sugar in a bowl. Stir in the corn syrup and about
3 tablespoons of the water. Check the consistency and add more water if needed
to have the glaze at a spreading consistency. Stir in food coloring if using.
 Using an offset
spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the glaze onto the cookies. Place on a
wire rack and let the glaze dry. This may take several hours. Once the glaze has
completely dried, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room
temperature.
Makes about 20 - 5
inch Cookies.
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