Every cookie platter has a ginger cookie at Christmas, whether it’s a gingerbread man (or lady). It can be soft and chewy, or crisp like a snap! This year I wanted to try something new and came up with these beautiful stamped ginger cookies that aren’t quite chewy or crisp but just the perfect amount of both! They have the classic wintery spices that ring in the holiday cheer and go perfectly with a hot cup of cocoa on those cool winter days!

I got a little creative and stamped the ginger cookies using crystal glasses that were passed down to me by my Baba. On the bottom of the vintage glasses are beautiful star like indents that when pressed into the dough leaves magical like stars. It’s just the right amount of ‘sparkle‘ that you want in a Christmas cookie! And what a beautiful way to use the crystal glasses!

I found some really simple and cute boxes at Bulk Barn Foods when I was getting my ingredients for the ginger cookies and thought they’d make the perfect gift boxes to package the cookies. I love how plain and natural these boxes are, so I can decorate them as I see fit. They had a lot of options, sizes and colours to choose from but I’d hurry if you like the ones I got!

Stamping Cookies

If you don’t have crystal glasses like mine to stamp the cookies with, not to worry you can purchase cookie stamps online. There are so many fun options on Etsy and in cute little kitchen shops. You can get creative and roll lace onto the cookies or use a decorative rolling pin. You just need to make sure that the dough is nice and firm before stamping and well floured to avoid sticking. If your dough is covered in flour, simply use a pastry brush and brush off any extra flour before baking. And if the dough is too soft before baking it will lose the stamped shape. To avoid this you can pop the cookie sheet (with the unbaked cookies) right into the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up.

Ginger Cookies

Print Recipe

These ginger cookies make a staple holiday cookie extra special! They are made by stamping a vintage crystal glass onto the cookie batter to create a unique design on the tops of each cookie. The flavour resembles a softer gingerbread man cookie full of warm spices and rich molasses.

Author: Alie Romano
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 2 hours 10 mins
Yield: 34 Cookies 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Units Scale

3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup (80g) fancy molasses, from Bulk Barn
2 1/4 cups (328g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Turbinado sugar (for decorating)

Instructions

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses and continue to beat until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl add flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder and salt together. Whisk to combine.
Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat until combined. Turn batter out onto waxed paper and flatten into a disc, place in the fridge to firm up, approx. 30-60 minutes. Once firm, roll batter into approx. 1 tablespoon size balls (mine were a bit larger than1 tablespoon). If the dough is still too sticky and not firm place the balls back into the fridge to firm up (30-60 minutes).
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
On a floured work surface gently re-roll a ginger ball and press the ball flat with the palm of your hand. Using the bottom of a crystal glass (that has star shapes indented in the bottom) press down to create shapes (see images above for a reference). You may need to flour the glass bottom each time before pressing into the ginger. Gently peel cookie off the glass bottom to reveal shape (don’t worry it may take a few tries to get the hang of it). Repeat with all the ginger cookie balls.
Place cookies 1-2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet (don’t overcrowd cookies or they wont bake evenly).
Using a pastry brush, brush off any extra flour on the cookie tops.
Sprinkle turbinado sugar on the tops of each cookie. Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 minutes.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to cool and to firm up. Top with extra turbinado sugar for an extra sparkle.