INGREDIENTS
Gingerbread
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
To make the gingerbread: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, allspice, cloves and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream on medium speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and cream on medium-high speed until pale and airy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the egg, mixing until well combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the molasses and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat on medium speed until no streaks remain. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until most of the flour is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-low and cream until the dough comes together and no more white streaks remain, 20 to 30 seconds.
Place half of the dough on a sheet of parchment paper, covered with another sheet of parchment, and use a rolling pin to roll into a 1/4"-thick sheet. Slide the sheet of dough onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Refrigerate the dough until it is firm, at least 30 minutes or up to overnight (if refrigerating overnight or longer, make sure the dough is well covered with plastic wrap or that the parchment is well tucked so the dough doesn't dry out).
Adjust one oven rack to the upper-middle position and another to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove a baking sheet from the refrigerator and slide one sheet of dough onto your work surface. Remove the top sheet of parchment and use it to line a rimmed sheet pan. use cookie cutters to stamp shapes out from the dough, then slide a knife or mini offset spatulate under the shapes and transfer the cut-out gingerbread to the prepared sheet pan. Gather the scraps and set aside (don't press them together yet). Repeat with the other sheet of dough and a second sheet pan. Gather all of the scraps and gently press them together. (Don't knead them into a perfect ball or you will overwork the dough and have tough cookies! The dough will even out when you roll it). Roll out the dough until it is 1/4" thick and cut out as many cookies as you can. Divide them among the sheet pans (or transfer them to a plate and save them for a third round of baking). Discard any remaining scraps.
Bake the cookies until they are golden brown and a little darker around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. (The cookies must be completely cooled before icing).
