Phenomenal Phoods

Gingerbread Cookies with White Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:

For the gingerbread cookies

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cloves

For the white chocolate glaze

• 6 ounces white chocolate, melted*
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1-2 tablespoons milk or water
• 1/4 cup toffee bits

Instructions:

For the gingerbread cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Use a mixer to cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth.
3. Stir in the egg, molasses and vinegar and beat well until there are no lumps.
4. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into the molasses mixture just until a dough forms.
5. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into any shapes you like. Place on prepared cookie sheets, about an inch apart.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 5 to 6 minutes, just until the edges are starting to brown a teensy bit. If you want them to be soft, be careful not to over bake.

For the white chocolate glaze

1. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or in 20 second increments in the microwave. Be careful as white chocolate tends to get lumpy/burn really quickly. See note about the type of white chocolate to buy.
2. Heat the maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of milk or water in the microwave for about 30 seconds and whisk into the melted white chocolate. The heating step helps prevent lumps from forming in the chocolate when mixing.
3. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and stir to combine. You want the glaze to be runny enough to dip your cookies in, but thick enough that it will not just completely run off of the cookies. Add more powdered sugar or milk/water as needed.
4. Dip cookies in the glaze and place on wax paper to set. Sprinkle with toffee bits.