On December 13 we celebrated Lucia Day. The Swedish Festival of Lights a particularly beautiful festival which we really enjoy. One of the traditions includes enjoying gingerbread cookies. They smell so good and are fun to make. (You can get an idea of what a Lucia Festival is like here)
Gingerbread cookies are a staple of the holiday season! We have been baking them every weekend since Thanksgiving. My kiddies really enjoy the process and one batch covers a school week of snacks and lunch treats. Keep in mind friends, that there are always Dr.Lucy's gingersnap cookies if you want the flavor and not the baking. We love to bake them ourselves and particularly enjoy them during Lucia Day.
We really enjoy using cookies cutters for shaped gingerbread cookies. I thought I'd share how we do this - since there is a little trick involved. See below for directions!
Also, I noticed that many avoid gingerbread house making for fear of allergens. We will construct ours soon but since we don't generally eat it - we only create it, look at it, then discard it - I see no reason to use our yummy and not so cheap cookie dough in the process. I kind of like re-using card board from boxes. In fact the box of mix listed below is brown on the inside and very easy to cut! Most boxes are already brown and just gluing them together is fun! Cotton balls pulled and stretched make nice icing corners too. The dollar stores have a plethora of cheap things to glue on - and make a nice little project sans all food. Old magazines are colorful and when cut with circle punches make nice decor for the little house as well. This works well for us.
About the yummy cookies though already!
For yummy Gingerbread cookies to eat gather the following:
aluminum foil to line cookie sheet
cookie sheet, lined
wax paper
freezer access
cookie cutters and powdered and/or colored sugars (optional)
Mix the following together in a mixing bowl:
1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix (generally following the box directions but I do the steps below)
1 stick of Earth Balance, melted (or substitute of your choice equaling 1/2 cup melted)
1 tablespoon of Vanilla of your choice
1 egg substitute (I use teaspoon of ground flax mixed with 3 teaspoons of hot water)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Also * An extra cup of warm water as needed for dough consistency. Use your judgement on this as you mix up the dough. It should not be runny at all but should also be well blended. I do this by hand with plastic food service gloves. It should generally be about the consistency of Play Doh.
Once you mix up the dough roll it into a ball, divide it into two sections and place each on wax paper. Cover with an additional piece of wax paper and roll out the dough. Use the wax paper to keep the edges from being uneven. I prefer to make the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Thinner and it sticks, thicker and the cookie shape becomes distorted and non crispy.
Wrap the dough sheets in wax paper in and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Check at that time and it the dough is very stiff then remove and cut out your cookies. However if the dough is not stiff keep it longer in the freezer checking on it occasionally.
Generally follow the package directions for cooking. Note that when I do this the cookies always take longer then the box states. Also always let the cookies rest before eating them so they will be nice and crispy!
Enjoy your cookies!
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