'Tis the season for much joy, family, and holiday shopping, but also that of butter and sugar, that's for certain. Although for some of us that sugar-filled season is all year round. But since gingerbread is the quintessential holiday baked good, I have a special place in my heart for it.
Believe it or not, it's one of the only things I bake that both my kids love to eat. And of course they have heaps of fun decorating them. I think we all do! I think it's because it really doesn't take much to transform a cut-out gingerbread person into a delightful little rosy-cheeked man with a face almost too sweet to bite. Just like that they come to life: hello! Aaand then we eat 'em all up: goodbye! 
Aside from being super-cute and lovable to look at, what do you think makes the "perfect" gingerbread cookie recipe? For me it's a combination of things - very important things.
First, the texture of the cookie needs to be fairly crispy along the outside with a semi-soft, cake-like inside, and like all "perfect" cut-out cookies, they definitely need to keep their shape when baked. Secondly, they must taste sweet but notably spicy, and have a rich molasses flavour. Essentially they *must* taste like Christmas. 
And while I think that there are many wonderful gingerbread recipes out there (including the recipe I often used and shared for the Jumbo Gingerbread Folk whom I continue to love and adore), I've found this variation to be one of favourites.
I've made them with both "cooking molasses," which lends to a robust, dark cookie (as shown in these photos), and with a much milder "fancy molasses," as shown in the photos below with my cakelets.
Both are delightful, and of course it's personal preference on the intensity of the molasses flavour in your cookie. I just happen to love both the taste and the dark colour the cooking molasses lends. 
Of course this gingerbread tastes just as amazing baked up as gingerbread houses, stars, unicorns, or anything else you or your cakelets feel inclined to create, but my heart belongs to the classic gingerbread boys. Kind of hard not to smile when you see them, which of course makes them perfect for sharing and gifting. 
We've had many a gingerbread baking and decorating party here (with tons and tons of sprinkles, of course), and will squeeze a few more in before this season ends because it's one of those things that genuinely makes my cakelets happy and perfectly content. 
Let the gingerbread making begin! Or, well, continue. 
And for other "perfect" cut-out cookie recipes, try my The Perfect Sugar Cookie and The Perfect Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookie recipes. Let us cookie for the rest of eternity! When we're not caking, that is. :) December 22, 2014 note: I slightly decreased the molasses in this recipe, because I feel it makes for a bit more of a crisp cookie that maintains it's semi-soft centre. Don't forget to let your creative side thrive with all the fixins and sprinkles for decorating!
Here's the recipe! Good luck & let's bake the world happy! xo
