Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

Preheat to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer on high, beat the butter and vegetable shortening until well-combined, about 1 min.

Add the brown sugar and beat until light in texture and color, about 2 min.

Beat in the molasses and egg.

Using a wooden spoon, gradually mix in the flour mixture to make a stiff dough.

Divide the dough into two thick disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.

To roll out the cookies: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until just warm enough to roll out without cracking, about 10 min. (If the dough has been chilled for longer than 3 hours, it may need a few more minutes.)

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick, being sure that the dough isn’t sticking to the work surface.

Using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and transfer to nonstick cookie sheets, placing the cookies 1 inch apart.

Gently knead the scraps together and form into another disk. Wrap and chill for 5 minutes before rolling out again to cut out more cookies.

Bake, switching the positions of the cookies from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are set and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cake racks to cool completely.

Decorate with candies or Royal Icing

FOR THE ROYAL ICING:

Make up to 2 days ahead: stored in an airtight container with a moist paper towel pressed directly on the icing surface, and refrigerated.

This icing hardens into shiny white lines. Traditional royal icing uses raw egg whites, but I prefer dried egg-white powder, available at most supermarkets, to avoid any concern about uncooked egg.

If using a pastry bag, practice your skills on foil or paper before you ice the cookies. Do a few trial runs to get the feel of the icing and the bag.

In a medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer at low speed, beat the confectioners’ sugar, egg-white powder and water until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, until very stiff, shiny and thick enough to pipe; 3 to 5 minutes. (The icing can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, stored in an airtight container with a moist paper towel pressed directly on the icing surface, and refrigerated.)

Traditional Royal Icing: Substitute 3 large egg whites for the powder and water.