Random Sat Dec 19 2009

DIY: Chicago Gingerbread Stars

By Cinnamon Cooper

I've been trying to overcome my fear of baking and rolled cookies seemed like something that I would ruin several times before I got right. And I'm impatient so I decided to skip even trying for years. And then a recent urge for gingerbread cookies led me to reconsider this. I talked with several very experienced bakers who were confused by my reluctance to make cookies and they offered suggestions for recipes. Since I had an invitation to attend a cookie exchange party, I decided I would gather my courage, sugar coat it, and get over it.

After consulting a number of people, I decided to try a cookie for making gingerbread men that was on Simply Recipes. And I couldn't have been happier with it. It was far easier (thanks to a Kitchen Aid mixer) than I would have expected it to be. I followed the recipe mostly as written but with a few modifications. I add 1 teaspoon of cardamom to make the cookies even spicier. I rolled the dough to 1/4" instead of 1/8" because I wanted them softer instead of crunchy. And I didn't refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes after rolling and before cutting as directed after the first batch. If I was making these during warmer weather I might have to make the dough firmer during the transfer to the cookie sheet.

But the best part, the part that actually was a bit creative, was wanting to make Chicago-star shaped cookies. Someone suggested I cut a star template and use a paring knife or small thin spatula to create the cuts. The idea of creating that many little incisions seemed far more fiddly than I thought I could handle. And then when talking to someone about Hanukkah I realized that the Star of David has six points, just like the Chicago star. The next day I headed to Tom Thumb, my favorite general craft store, and looked for a cutter I could alter. They only had a small cutter because they were out of the two larger sizes. And it couldn't have been easier. The metal is very soft so all I had to do was squeeze gently on each point with a pair of needle-nose pliers. I did my best to make them balanced, and it isn't a perfect star admittedly, but since it is getting transfered to cookie dough and then baked, it seems close enough.

I admittedly purchased a tube of pre-made frosting at the correct consistency for piping instead of making royal icing. I would suggest you make your own royal icing instead. I spent more time squeezing the tube than I spent icing cookies. And I got massive hand cramps from the thick plastic tube that I've never gotten when using a piping bag.