With a modern twist on a holiday classic, these Chinese Five Spice Gingerbread Cookies use a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and peppercorns in place of traditional ground ginger for an added kick of warm, holiday spice!
Serves: 48 cookies
Ingredients
*For the Cookies*
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
⅓ cup molasses
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons milk (2% or whole)
2 teaspoons vanilla
*For the Royal Icing*
3 tablespoons meringue powder
1lb confectioner's sugar
3-4 tablespoons lukewarm water
Instructions
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and Chinese Five Spice and set aside
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened butter until light and fluffy
Add in the brown sugar and cream for 2 minutes
Scarpe the sides and add in the egg, molasses, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest
In 3 additions, add in the dry ingredients followed by the 2 tablespoons of milk
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and form it into a flat disc
Tightly wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours
To bake, preheat the oven to 375* and line your baking sheets with parchment or silicon mats
Section the dough into four pieces and roll each section to ¼ inch thickness
Using cookie cutter, create shapes and place them on the prepared baking sheets, 1-2 inches apart
Bake for 9-10 minutes
Remove from oven and cool completely before decorating
To prepare the frosting, in a large mixing bowl beat together the confectioner's sugar and meringue powder. Slowly drizzle in 3-4 tablespoons of lukewarm water until the desired consistency is reached.
Place the frosting in a piping bag with a small tip and decorate the cookies.
Let the frosting set completely before storing the cookies.
Recipe by Her Modern Kitchen at https://www.hermodernkitchen.com/chinese-five-spice-gingerbread-cookies/