Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies

These cookies are so much fun to make. I really enjoy making cut-out cookies, but sometimes it's hard to find the time to make them. Icing them is the most time consuming, but it's so much fun. I don't consider myself a great piper when it comes to icing, so I tried to keep the design simple. I struggled with the design for the gingerbread girl, and I finally decided to draw little bows on her dress.
I had a hard time keeping my hands out of these cookies because they were so good. My dad said he's not a big fan of gingerbread, but he liked these. They are really soft and delicious.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 large egg



Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices to combine; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the molasses and egg until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough out on a liberally floured work surface to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cookie shapes onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Makes about 32 (3-inch) cookies

Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats