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LIGHT GINGERBREAD COOKIES SNOWFLAKES
Yield: 24 4- to 5-inch cookies
99% residue-free cooking or baking spray or parchment paper for baking sheets
¼ cup butter
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg plus 1 egg white
2 ½ cups unbleached flour
1 tbsp. malted milk powder
2 tsps. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
pinch salt (optional)
2 cups White Icing (see recipe that follows)
4 to 5-inch cookie cutters
food coloring (optional)
decorating candies, colored sugars, etc. (optional)
1. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together and then beat until light. Add molasses, egg, and egg white, beating to blend all ingredients together.
2. In a separate bowl, stir flour together with malted milk powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until just blended. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours to overnight. The longer the dough is refrigerated, the easier it is to handle.
3. Prepare baking sheets by spraying lightly with cooking or baking spray or lining with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 F. Working with a third of the dough at a time, roll out onto a lightly floured board or pastry cloth to a thickness of about ¼ inch. Cut out cookies with floured cookie cutters and transfer to prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake cookies until lightly browned around edges and barely firm when touched (10 to 12 minutes). After removing from oven, allow cookies to cool a few minutes before transferring to wire racks. When completely cooled, decorate with White Icing piped from a pastry bag or paper cone.
Nutritional Information: Cookie with icing 160 Calories; 2g Fat; 34g Carbohydrate; 2g Protein; 14 milligrams Cholesterol; 92mg Sodium. High-calorie Version: Cookie with icing 200 Calories; 6g Fat
WHITE ICING
Yield: 3 cups or 48 1 tbsp. servings
1 16-ounce package confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp. meringue powder*
1/3 cup warm water
Beat sugar with meringue powder and water until thick and white, about 7 minutes. Icing may be tinted with food coloring at this point. Keep icing covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out. If necessary, use a little warm water to thin frosting to the right consistency for pipping or spreading.
Nutritional Information: 1 tbsp. 40 Calories; 0 Fat; 10g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; trace Protein; 0mg Cholesterol; 4mg Sodium
Note: Icing can be stored for up to 1 week. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of icing and refrigerate.
*Paste or gel food coloring, decorating sugars, candy, decorating frosting tubes are available at grocery and specialty stores wherever baking and cake decorating supplies are sold.
*Meringue powder is available at specialty stores wherever baking and cake decorating supplies are sold.
