Question from Novice baker

[S]

I asked my dad if he had any cookie requests for the holidays. He said that he would like the ginger cookies that his grandmother used to make. He said that they had icing.

Well I am not a baker, but I would like to surprise him for Christmas. Has anyone heard of a cookie like this? I have copied the ginger cookie recipes and mamasue's molasses ginger cookie recipe. Can I ice these? And if so what icing should I use? I've seen the royal icing recipe, would this work?

Thank you for any advice. My dad does so much for me I hope I can do this for him.

[BethR]

In general, I'm not sure you'd want to go with Royal Icing unless the icing is mainly for decorative purposes. Here's its definition from Epicurious:

Royal Icing: An icing made of confectioners' sugar, egg whites and a few drops of lemon juice. It hardens when dry, making it a favorite for durable decorations (such as flowers and leaves) and ornamental writing.

Cheers -- Beth

[S]

Thank you, thank you all so much. My dad is going to be so happy and in return I will be so happy.

[Mamasue]

S,

The royal icing hardens. Ask your Dad if the icing he remembers was a hard one. If not then I would go with just a basic icing glaze with a consistency on the thick side. The way I make my glaze icing for italian cookies is confectioners' sugar, milk and flavoring. Put a couple of cups of sugar in a bowl and add a tablespoon of milk at a time until glaze is the consistency that you like. Add some vanilla extract for taste.

[sneezles]

S
This is a great frosting on gingerbread so I think it would be good on cookies, too!

Carmel Fudge Frosting

2/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
3 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add milk and cook, stirring, until mixture boils. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until frosting is of good spreading consistency. Makes about 2 cups.

[lorilei]

Here is a classic ginger cookie recipe that my mother-in-law gave me from the Taste of Home magazine. It's quite good, and reminds HER of something her mother made... you might try it!

FROSTED GINGER COOKIES

1 1/2 c Butter or margarine
1 c Sugar
1 c Packed brown sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 c Molasses
2 ts Vanilla extract
4 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 tb Ground ginger
2 ts Baking soda
2 ts Ground cinnamon
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Ground cloves

Frosting:
1/3 c Packed brown sugar
2 c Confectioner's sugar
2 tb Butter or margarine
1/4 c Milk
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
pinch of Salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in molasses and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cookies spring back when touched lightly (do not overbake). Remove to wire racks.

For frosting, in a medium saucepan, bring sugars and butter to a boil; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk; bring to a boil. Remove from heat (mixture will look curdled at first). Cool for 3 min. Add vanilla and salt; mix well. Frost cookies while still warm.

Yield: about 6 dozen.

[hsvaughan]

I am so excited my family loves these type of cookies but nobody has a great recipe for them. I am going to try the recipe posted by lorilei - do you know, can these be frozen from now until Christmas, if so what is the best way to freeze them? Should you just freeze the dough or can you freeze the cooked cookies.

[lorilei]

I believe it would be best to freeze the baked cookies (unfrosted) rather than freezing the cookie dough. I can't imagine they wouldn't keep well this way. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif