Good Morning and Happy Wednesday, everyone!
I’m in a lovely mood. Not only did I take today off from work to prepare for tonight’s Boston Music Awards (and got to sleep in a little later than usual in the process,) but last night I had the most fun taking ugly Christmas sweater photos with my favorite person in the world for my 2019 holiday cards- and somehow my little town successfully managed to dodge an impending overnight snowstorm- getting by with only a little bit of rain in the early morning hours today!
So while I sit here, sipping a coffee and planning on doing some errands and Christmas shopping this morning and early afternoon before it’s time to make my way into Boston- I thought I’d share a baking endeavor I undertook earlier this week when a craving for gingerbread hit me.
Despite not being 95 years old, I actually love ginger snap cookies- and I knew of a way to make them a bit more festive for this time of year.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
FOR THE COOKIES:
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ¼ cup molasses
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
READY? HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium bowl sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and molasses.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture about ½ at a time.
- Form the dough into balls about 2 tablespoons in size. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press the dough balls flat to increase crispiness.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are set.
- In a large bowl beat the butter and cream cheese together using an electric mixer.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the powdered sugar about ½ – 1 cup at a time until you’ve mixed in 2 cups.
- Beat in the cream 1 tablespoon at a time, alternating with a little extra powdered sugar until the desired sweetness and consistency.
- Frost the cooled cookies using a flat knife and apply another flattened cookie on top to form the sandwich shape.
From there, I usually stick the completed cookies in the refrigerator for an hour or so to harden up the cream cheese and make them prime for dunking in cocoa- but you can indulge however you’d like!
I’m off to get some errands done and make myself look presentable for tonight- but I’ll be back on Friday morning with more festive content as the holidays creep closer and closer!
Wish Indie617 luck for the BMAs- and enjoy your “Hump Day,” everybody!
xx
– Ashley –
Blondie Birdie 