Merry Christmas Molasses Cookies

Rolled molasses cookies built for the cookie cutter parade: stars, trees, gingerbread folk, snowflakes, anything your kitchen drawer can handle. The dough leans heavily on dark molasses and packed brown sugar, which is why the baked cookies have that chewy-edged, soft-centered bite instead of the snap of a crisp gingersnap.

Four teaspoons of cinnamon and a hit of ground ginger carry the spice end. The chill step is doing real work here: an hour in the fridge firms the shortening so the dough rolls clean without tearing, and the cutouts hold their edges in the oven. Pull them when no indentation remains under a light press, around the 7 to 8 minute mark, and they will firm up as they cool.

Frosting and sprinkles are the finish line. Royal icing pipes sharp outlines, and a simple powdered sugar glaze flows for flooding.

Chef Tips

• Roll between sheets of parchment instead of on a floured board to keep the dough tender; too much extra flour turns these dry.
• If the dough cracks at the edges, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling.
• Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack so the bottoms do not scorch before the centers set.
• Store decorated cookies in a single layer until the icing is bone dry, then stack between waxed paper in an airtight tin.

Variations

• Swap half the cinnamon for ground cardamom and a pinch of clove for a Scandinavian pepparkakor lean.
• Use blackstrap molasses for a darker, more bitter edge that pairs well with a lemon glaze.
• Press a whole almond or candied ginger piece into each cookie before baking instead of frosting.