Date Night: Christmas Cookies

November 24, 2019

Aprons, flour flying and sprinkles everywhere. It doesn’t change much over the years, cookie baking still makes a mess and still brings so much joy to my heart. To be honest, most years, I use pre-made dough (don’t tell my Husband’s family). I don’t come from a family of cooks and it saves time and the mess. However, some of my favorite Christmas memories are going to my best friend’s cookie decorating party where we would make ourselves sick with sugar and decorate enough cookies for an army.

To this day, a good sugar cookie with some frosting and sprinkles is still my favorite holiday treat.

What better way to add some sweetness to your relationship than by baking cookies together this holiday season and making it a date night. Whether it’s this recipe or your grandma’s it doesn’t matter, find a recipe you’ll both like and dive into date night with the sweetest intentions.

With all that being said, these aren’t just any old gingerbread men, We like to be fancy. So I found an amazing recipe that keeps the dough’s structure even after it’s been baked and we’re adding a rosemary frosting and a Bourbon caramel sauce to mix things up and dress our men with (the gingerbread men that is).

Cookie Recipe:
Original recipe from The Kitchen Paper

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses (unsulphured, don’t use blackstrap)
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 375
Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and cloves together in a mixing bowl
In a mixer combine the butter at room temperature with the sugar. Mix until just combined not so that it becomes fluffy.
Add in the egg and mix.
Add in the molasses, vanilla and set of a lemon
Slowly add in the bowl of dry ingredients.
If the mixture is too dry add in a tsp of milk or water.
Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters to make your shapes.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (This is SO important)
I baked my cookies for 6 minutes at altitude (5,280 feet) otherwise you can bake them for 8 minutes.
Remove cookies and let cool. Then add icing.

Base of Icings
1.5 cups Powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Divide into two to make the 2 flavors of icing

Rosemary Icing
2 tsp simple syrup
3-4 sprigs of Fresh rosemary (or 2 Tablespoon of dried)

Combine simple syrup and rosemary in a pot on the stove. Let come to a boil and then simmer fur 30 minutes. If too much evaporates add a bit more syrup. Strain the syrup into one of your bowls of icing base and mix together.

Caramel Bourbon Icing
4 Helliemae’s caramels (any individually wrapped caramels)
1 Tablespoon Bourbon
4 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar

Meltdown the caramels on the stove and combine with 1 Tablespoon of Bourbon.
Once melted combine with your second bowl of icing base. If the icing is too thin slowly add in more powdered sugar to create the thickness you like.

Categories: Life