Baked Fresh Daily

There may be no scent or taste more synonymous with the holidays at Walt Disney world that gingerbread. While there may be many, many locales in which to view and taste the winter treat, there is no place more recognizable for its gingerbread than the Grand Floridian Resort. With the holiday baking season fully upon us starting this week, we’ve whipped up some of their famous gingerbread cookies in our own kitchen to see how they stack up!

GINGERBREAD COOKIES (makes 3 dozens)

Ingredients

3 2/3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

2 1/2 Cups Confectioners’ Sugar (Sifted)

1 Cup (2 Sticks) Butter (Softened)

1 Cup Colored Decorating Sugar

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Milk

2 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

2 1/4 Teaspoons Ground Coriander

2 Teaspoons Ground Star Anise

1 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Ground Fennel

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Mace

Directions

Combine butter and sugar in an electric mixer bowl and beat until smooth.

Beat in eggs.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, coriander, star anise, baking powder, fennel, ginger, cloves, salt, and mace.

With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture until dough holds together.

Remove dough from bowl and wrap in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate 2 to 4 hours, until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease 2 cookie sheets.

Remove dough from refrigerator and set aside at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until pliable.

Divide dough in half; return one half to refrigerator.

Place other half on a floured work surface and roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness, flouring work station as needed.

Cut out with cookie cutters that have been dipped in flour for neat edges.

Transfer cut dough to baking sheets with 1 inch gaps.

Lightly brush cookies with milk and sprinkle with colored sugar.

Bake 10 to 14 minutes, until firm and edges begin to darken.

Allow cookies to slightly cool on cookie sheet before transferring to wire racks to completely cool.

Repeat with remaining dough.

There are a ton of ingredients in these cookies, but the preparation of the gingerbread cookies is relatively simple. In fact, of all of the cookies we make during the holidays, this may be one of the most simple. You’ll notice from the pictures I crushed some candy canes up to decorate some of our cookies, that was a personal preference, but you should feel free to experiment with decorations as well!

These ginger bread cookies are very dense and crunchy, which is not necessarily everyone’s favorite texture for cookies, but these are showstoppers if crunchy cookies are just what you’re hoping for in your stockings. No matter if you like the texture or not, you’ll love how your house will smell for a very, very long time after these have finished baking!