Edible Gingerbread Cookie Gift Tags
Edible Gingerbread Cookie Gift Tags. Who wouldn't want a little cookie with their gift? These spicy cookies sweeten up any present!
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Lots more pictures of these and a lot more info at The Alchemist.
Edible Gingerbread Cookie Gift Tags
adapted from Martha Stewart Living
makes 30-40 gift tags, you can easily halve the recipe if you want to make less
Gingerbread Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) (228 g.) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 g.) dark brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Ginger
1 1/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup (177 ml) plus 2 Tablespoons molasses - I used a 1 cup measure and eyeballed it
6 cups (900 g.) all purpose flour
Frosting Ingredients
2 cups (200 g.) sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk (adding in more if needed for proper spreading consistency)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract - use clear vanilla (or omit it) if you want the icing to be totally white, regular vanilla will make it beige, or you can use lemon juice to give it a little lemon flavor.
sprinkles or other decorations for topping
Directions for cookies
In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the butter and brown sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in the spices and salt. Beat in the eggs and molasses, making sure to scrape down the bowl as needed.
Add flour and mix on low speed to combine. Divide dough into thirds, press to flatten and wrap in plastic. Place in fridge and let chill for an hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 4. Lightly flour 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the first piece of dough to 1/8 an inch between the two pieces of parchment. Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes. Initials, or a large cookie with an initial cut out of the middle. Or any shape you want! Cut a hole for hanging with a straw, or a size 10 or 12 pastry tip. Using a spatula, carefully transfer cookies to parchment lined, or Silpat lined, baking sheet. Cover cookies with parchment paper then top it with a second baking sheet to keep cookies flat while baking. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Keep the baking sheet on top for about 20 minutes while cooling. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting. Frost with the frosting recipe provided if desired. Keep cooled cookies (if frosted make sure they are totally dry, overnight is good) in an airtight container before using.
Frosting Directions
In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar with milk (start with 1-2 tablespoons, you will likely need more milk for the perfect spreading consistency). If you are adding sprinkles or other decorations, put them on right after frosting the cookies. Then let dry completely before using.
If you want to write names on the cookies, tint the frosting to desired color, use a pastry bag and writing tip, or put frosting into a small baggie and cut a small hole in the corner for writing. If you are writing on a cookie that has been frosted already, make sure that frosting has dried first.