I tried Martha Stewart's 'basic' gingerbread-cookie recipe and I've never felt more festive

Gabbi ShawDec 16, 2022, 23:56 IST

They're Hanukkah gingerbread cookies.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Gingerbread is one of my favorite holiday flavors, so I tried Martha Stewart's cookie recipe.
Though I didn't have all the right ingredients or tools, I got creative and was still able to make them.

This holiday season, I decided to try out Martha Stewart's basic gingerbread recipe.

Martha Stewart.Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Here are the ingredients I needed, besides the eggs that were in the fridge.

The ingredients for my gingerbread cookies.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

And here's the amount of space I was working with — shout-out to my tiny New York City kitchen.

My kitchen.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

The first step was to sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Too bad I don't have a sifter.

My attempts at sifting.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

The next step was to use a mixer to cream butter and dark brown sugar. I didn't have dark brown sugar, so I made my own.

Homemade dark brown sugar.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

You can see how the color changed.

Homemade dark brown sugar.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

After the sugar was completed, I set about creaming the butter and sugar.

Creamed sugar and butter.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

The next step was to add the spices — cinnamon, ground cloves, pepper, ginger, and salt — plus the two eggs. It was starting to smell amazing in my kitchen.

The eggs and spices.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Since I only had whole cloves, I improvised again by using a rolling pin and a Ziploc bag.

My fake ground cloves.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

I mixed everything until my wet ingredients were combined.

The wet ingredients combined.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Again, I was supposed to use a mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients, so I muddled on as best I could.

Mixing the wet and dry ingredients together.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

I ended up using a whisk, the wooden spoon, a fork, and my hands to mix everything fully.

The gingerbread dough.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Eventually, I was able to knead the dough into something solid. I split it into thirds and refrigerated it for an hour.

The three mounds of dough.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

While my dough was chilling, I took stock of how messy my kitchen had become.

The messy kitchen.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

After an hour was up, I took out one of the thirds and began rolling.

My flattened dough.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Target was out of gingerbread men — as I'm Jewish anyway, these Hanukkah cookie cutters were a great choice.

My Hanukkah cookie cutters.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Here's what the cut dough looked like on the tray.

The cookies.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

The first batch came out a little ... burnt.

The first batch.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

So, when I tried again, I made the dough a little thicker, and left them in for shorter.

The second round of dough.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Then I pulled out my frosting and got to work. I'm not an artist, so don't judge.

Dreidels and a Star of David.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

The cookies tasted delicious, and they had a solid crunch. In the future, I think I would use less pepper and actual ground cloves.

Me and a menorah cookie.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

While I'd call these a step above "basic," I think anyone with the right tools could make these pretty easily — and even if you don't have the right tools, they'll put you in a festive mood.

The finished product.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

While I'd call these a step above "basic," I think anyone with the right tools could make these pretty easily — and even if you don't have the right tools, they'll put you in a festive mood.

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Cookies on the Business Insider India website

I tried Martha Stewart's 'basic' gingerbread-cookie recipe and I've never felt more festive

This holiday season, I decided to try out Martha Stewart's basic gingerbread recipe.

Here are the ingredients I needed, besides the eggs that were in the fridge.

And here's the amount of space I was working with — shout-out to my tiny New York City kitchen.

The first step was to sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Too bad I don't have a sifter.

The next step was to use a mixer to cream butter and dark brown sugar. I didn't have dark brown sugar, so I made my own.

You can see how the color changed.

After the sugar was completed, I set about creaming the butter and sugar.

The next step was to add the spices — cinnamon, ground cloves, pepper, ginger, and salt — plus the two eggs. It was starting to smell amazing in my kitchen.

Since I only had whole cloves, I improvised again by using a rolling pin and a Ziploc bag.

I mixed everything until my wet ingredients were combined.

Again, I was supposed to use a mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients, so I muddled on as best I could.

I ended up using a whisk, the wooden spoon, a fork, and my hands to mix everything fully.

Eventually, I was able to knead the dough into something solid. I split it into thirds and refrigerated it for an hour.

While my dough was chilling, I took stock of how messy my kitchen had become.

After an hour was up, I took out one of the thirds and began rolling.

Target was out of gingerbread men — as I'm Jewish anyway, these Hanukkah cookie cutters were a great choice.

Here's what the cut dough looked like on the tray.

The first batch came out a little ... burnt.

So, when I tried again, I made the dough a little thicker, and left them in for shorter.

Then I pulled out my frosting and got to work. I'm not an artist, so don't judge.

The cookies tasted delicious, and they had a solid crunch. In the future, I think I would use less pepper and actual ground cloves.

While I'd call these a step above "basic," I think anyone with the right tools could make these pretty easily — and even if you don't have the right tools, they'll put you in a festive mood.