Gingerbread Gooey Butter Cookies

image credit wickedgoodkitchen.com

Ingredients

1. 2¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon (about 280 g) pure organic unbleached all-purpose flour, such as Hodgson Mill®
2. 2 teaspoons (about 8 g) baking powder
3. ¼ teaspoon (1.2 g) baking soda
4. 2½ teaspoons (4.38 g) organic ground ginger
5. 2 teaspoons (5 g) organic ground cinnamon
6. ½ teaspoon (1 g) organic ground allspice
7. ½ teaspoon (1.25 g) freshly grated organic whole nutmeg
8. ¼ teaspoon (.55 g) organic ground cloves
9. 1 (8 oz/226 g) package organic cream cheese, such as Organic Valley®, softened
10. ½ cup (1 stick/113 g) organic grass-fed unsalted butter, softened
11. 1 cup (200 g) organic granulated cane sugar
12. ½ cup (100 g) packed organic light or dark brown cane sugar
13. 1 tablespoon (15 ml) organic unsulphured molasses, such as Wholesome!™
14. 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
15. ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) pure almond extract or Fiori di Sicilia extract
16. ½ teaspoon (2.4 g) fine-grain sea salt
17. 1 large organic egg plus 1 large egg yolk (mine weighed 74 g w/o shells)
18. 1½ to 2 cups (180 to 240 g) organic confectioners’ sugar, sifted, for rolling cookies twice before baking

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices until well blended. Set aside.
2. Using an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or handheld electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until well blended, creamy and smooth. Beat in sugars, molasses, extracts and salt; mix until well combined and light and fluffy, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula when necessary. Add egg and egg yolk and beat in well until creamy and light, about 1 to 2 minutes on medium speed—setting 6 on KitchenAid stand mixer.
3. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture and mix until just fully incorporated. Dough will be very sticky. Cover work bowl and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.
4. Meanwhile, arrange oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 325ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Place confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
5. Measure enough dough to roll into generous 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls, using a 1 1/3-inch (3.3 cm) spring-loaded cookie scoop (or by measuring a generous tablespoon of dough with a measuring spoon) making sure each scoopful is in equal amounts. This is important for evenly baked cookies.
6. Roll dough between palms of hands to achieve a small rounded ball and then roll in confectioners’ sugar to lightly coat. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, roll each ball of dough in confectioners’ sugar once again. This will enhance this particular gingerbread cookie in both taste and appearance.
7. Bake in preheated oven until cookies have spread into round cookie shapes and are puffed and crackly, about 14 to 14½ minutes. Do not overbake. The cookies will still be soft in the centers. If they start to brown around the edges, they have baked too long. The underside of the cookies should be only very lightly browned.
8. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. Then, carefully remove cookies from baking sheet using a thin metal cookie spatula and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Once completely cooled, transfer cookies to an airtight container. Repeat with remaining dough on prepared cookie sheets.
9. If desired, chill the cookies in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Before serving, dust cookies lightly with additional confectioners’ sugar. Serve cookies chilled or at room temperature.

For more detail wickedgoodkitchen.com

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