Fall Wedding Gingerbread Cookies

Christmas has come and gone, but during the fall and winter months all you want is some good, homemade comfort foods.  I'd call gingerbread cookies the perfect comfort cookie when it's chilly out.  Grab a warm cup of tea and it's heaven.

What makes the perfect Gingerbread cookie?  A beautiful balance of sweet and spice.  This cookie has that.  Don't be scared if this dough is very sticky out of the mixer, you'll be refrigerating it and thoroughly dusting your work surface.

If you're having a winter or fall wedding, these cookies would be perfect to serve your guests if you are having a dessert table, a great idea for a midnight snack, great tucked inside an out-of-town bag or perfect as your favors.

Afraid you won't have enough time to make the dough and bake the cookies right before your  wedding?  Make the dough and cut your shapes out a 2 weeks to a month before the big day.  Freeze the dough, placing plastic wrap layers between cookie shapes.  When your ready, just pull them out of the freezer to defrost, and pop them in your pre-heated oven.  Then just spend the day with your bridesmaids making up little gifts for your guests.

Ingredients

* 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened slightly
* 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup molassas

Directions

Whisk the dry ingredients except the sugar. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter with the sugar until slightly fluffy. Slowly beat in the milk, molasses & egg.

On low speed, beat in the dry mixture until combined; dough will be sticky. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, roll each to 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick between sheets of parchment paper, and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line sheet pans with parchment paper.

Put the cookie dough on a floured work surface; cut and transfer cookies to the prepared sheets. Reroll and cut the scraps into cookies.

Bake the thinner cookies for about 11 minutes, until crisp, and the thicker about 20 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.