Gingerbread Cookies with Orange Buttercream Frosting

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Description

My favorite gingerbread cookie recipe. The cookies are soft and cakey. The orange buttercream icing really ties the flavors together.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 teaspoons baking soda, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, or more as needed
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 oranges, zested and juiced

Instructions

  1. Combine 1 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Mix in molasses and egg until combined.
  2. Mix together buttermilk and 2 teaspoons baking soda in a small bowl. Mix vinegar with remaining 1 teaspoon baking soda in another small bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the molasses-egg mixture. Then add vinegar mixture
  3. cinnamon
  4. cloves
  5. ginger
  6. nutmeg
  7. and salt; mix until well combined.
  8. Gradually stir in 4 cups flour
  9. 1 cup at a time
  10. stirring until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Shape dough into a ball
  11. wrap in plastic wrap
  12. and place in the refrigerator until chilled
  13. about 30 minutes.
  14. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  15. Place chilled dough on a floured surface and roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with desired cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
  16. Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden
  17. about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool
  18. 8 to 10 minutes more.
  19. While cookies are cooling
  20. place 3 cups powdered sugar
  21. softened butter
  22. orange zest
  23. and 1/3 cup orange juice in a bowl. Discard remaining orange juice
  24. or save for another use. Beat frosting ingredients with an electric mixer until consistency is similar to fondant or modeling dough
  25. adding more powdered sugar
  26. if necessary. Frost cookies.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Servings: 24

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