Ingredients (~1 dozen cookies)
For the Shortbread Dough
- 142g (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp molasses
- 141g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 3/4 to 1 1/2 tsp heavy cream, only if needed
For the Royal Icing
- 80g (2/3 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp meringue powder
- 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp room temperature water
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Brown the Butter and Make the Dough
Place the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. It will melt and then start to foam and sizzle. Stir it occasionally.
After a few minutes, the sizzling will quiet down, and you’ll see golden-brown specks form at the bottom.
Once it smells nutty, pour all of it into a large bowl and let it cool to a soft, room-temperature consistency. Stirring it in the fridge every 10 minutes can speed this up.
While the butter cools, whisk together the flour, salt, and all the spices in a separate bowl.
Once the butter has cooled, beat it with the granulated sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and molasses and beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
If it seems dry and crumbly, add the heavy cream a little at a time until it comes together.
Chill the Dough for One Hour
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. The dough must be firm to roll out properly. For a single dozen, you don’t need to divide it.
Roll, Cut, and Bake the Cookies at 350F
Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out your desired shapes and place them about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Put the cut cookies in the freezer for about 5 minutes to help them hold their shape.
Bake for ~8-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies, until the edges are lightly golden. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Make the Icing and Decorate
In a bowl, beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder, water, and vanilla on low speed for 30 seconds, then on high for 4-5 minutes until stiff peaks form.
The consistency should be thick but pipeable; add more water to thin it or more sugar to thicken it.
Once the cookies are completely cool, decorate them with the icing.
Brown Butter Gingerbread Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Dough
- 142g unsalted butter 10 Tbsp
- 100g granulated sugar 1/2 cup
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp molasses
- 141g all-purpose flour 1 cup + 2 Tbsp
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 3/4 to 1 1/2 tsp heavy cream only if needed
For the Royal Icing
- 80g powdered sugar 2/3 cup
- 1 1/2 tsp meringue powder
- 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp room temperature water
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Brown butter in saucepan over medium heat until golden specks form and nutty aroma develops. Pour into bowl and cool to room temperature.
- Whisk together flour, salt, and spices in separate bowl.
- Beat cooled brown butter with sugar until fluffy. Mix in egg yolk, vanilla, and molasses. Add dry ingredients until dough forms. Add cream if needed.
- Wrap dough in plastic and chill 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment.
- Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut shapes and place on baking sheet.
- Freeze cutouts 5 minutes.
- Bake 8-12 minutes until edges are light golden. Cool 5 minutes on pan, then transfer to rack.
- Beat powdered sugar, meringue powder, water, and vanilla until stiff peaks form, 4-5 minutes.
- Decorate fully cooled cookies with icing.
