A classic holiday cut-out cookie with a wholesome whole wheat twist. The perfect cookie for baking and decorating with kids.
My mom has an amazing collection of cookie cutters, both old and new. Most are from long before I was born, some had been my grandmothers, and a few are newer designs that I bought her as gifts.
I always loved the cookie cutter drawer in our kitchen. I associated it with the best holidays of the year, since that’s the only time the cookie cutters came out.
My earliest baking memories are of making Christmas cut-out cookies that we’d then paint with tinted frosting and hang on the tree. We’d nibble away at them over Christmas and finish them off only when the tree came down. By then they were hard, a little stale, and in my memory, delicious.
The tradition has continued with my kids, although the cookies hardly last long enough to even be hung on the tree. Plus we have a big dog.
This gingerbread cookie recipe came with a moose-shaped cookie cutter I bought in Maine sometime in the early 1990’s. It was from the Purple Puma Cookie Company. Not sure if they’re still in the business of packaging cookie cutters with recipe cards and spice packets but I was a sucker for their designs.
The recipe didn’t include spices (because they came in a packet) so the spice blend is my own.
Whole Wheat Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in
- 1 cup whole wheat flour*, spooned in
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp each, nutmeg, cloves
* This recipe lends itself well to stone ground flour which is more nutritious and flavourful.
Instructions:
- In a large bowl mix butter and sugar until creamy.
- Beat in egg and molasses.
- Add lemon juice.
- Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add to creamed mixture.
- When flour mixture is fully incorporated gather dough into a ball, cut in half and pat into two disks.
- Chill for one hour.
To bake:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼” thick and cut into shapes.
- Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes or until golden around the edges.
Simple icing:
- 2 Tbsp. soft butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp. milk or cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
In a medium bowl mash the butter and add about half of the icing sugar. Mash them together for a bit then add 1 Tbsp. of milk and the vanilla. Mix well then add remaining icing sugar and more milk as needed. This icing should be a little runny for easy decorating.
Mix dough until blended well: 
Pat into two disks and chill:
I like to roll mine fairly thin (1/4 inch) so they hold their shape well.
To decorate, make a simple frosting of icing sugar and milk:
Start with 1 cup icing sugar and 1 Tbsp of milk. Mix well and add more icing sugar (or milk) as required to get a spreadable consistency.
One more thing…
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