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I couldn’t get through the holidays without posting one festive recipe, despite the fact that Christmas is in a few days and this baby is due in less than two weeks. I once again had grand plans to bake an assortment of holidays cookies and confections that we could then hand out to neighbors and family, all tied up with shiny ribbon in sweet little boxes, but of course that once again did not happen. One day I’ll get there!

The only festive cookie I’ve managed to bake this season are a couple batches of these glazed gingerbread cookies, and most of those went to Phoebe’s preschool bake sale. (They all sold, if you’re wondering. Though to be honest everything else sold as well, so the success of these cookies may have to be attributed to the fact that her teacher set up in a great spot outside of a bar and all the slightly intoxicated people couldn’t resist a little sweet something.) The cookies are a cinch to make, and even though you have to roll them out and stamp them, the whole prep time is less than 30 minutes—there isn’t even any chilling time required! A simple cinnamon-flecked glaze is brushed on when the cookies are warm, which then dries in all the stamped nooks and crannies and gives them a vintage tile-like appearance. I love my set of three Nordic Ware stamps (no, I’m not sponsored—I wish!), but you can use whatever stamps you have on hand. Or don’t use stamps at all; the glaze can be brushed on top of smooth cookies for a simpler look and they’ll still taste fantastic. The cookies stay soft once cooled and, when broken into bits, the glaze cracks in a very pleasing way.

We’ve been quite busy getting ready for Christmas and the impending arrival of our second child—needless to say it’s been a little hectic. Add into the mix about a month of being sick and we’re feeling pretty tired. However, we’ve still made time for a little magic, for Phoebe’s sake. We’ve gone on many neighborhood light tours, her puffy little cheeks glowing red, green, yellow, and blue as she leans in to touch flashing bulbs strung along fences. The other night we went on the Roaring Camp Christmas Train, and she waved to people standing on the sidewalk as we slowly wound our way up past Harvey West. She didn’t want to look at Santa when he came to visit at the end of the ride, but she did happily take his gift of a green “candy corn” (that’s what she calls candy canes) and dance to the music being pumped through the speakers. For the winter solstice my mom has planned for us to decorate a tree outside with bird-seed ornaments and garlands of popcorn, which we made this week, all in the hopes that we can teach our little ones that Christmas is as much about giving as it is about receiving (though I know presents will still be their number one priority, and who can blame them).

I’m sure you’re busy buying and wrapping presents, shepherding yourselves and children to multiple holiday dinners, parties, and gift exchanges. But if you have an hour to spare and want to make something sweet for yourself (or Santa—I hear “he” would be a big fan of these cookies), I urge you to give these a go. And if you don’t get to it before Monday, make them any time during the year and enjoy them when you have less to do.

Happy Holidays!

Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies

Makes 12-15 cookies | adapted from a recipe in Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh

for the cookies:
85g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
90g (generous packed ⅓ cup) brown sugar
100g (⅓ cup) molasses
1 egg yolk
235g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
several cracks of freshly ground black pepper

for the glaze:
20g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
80g (⅔ cup) powdered sugar
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp spiced rum or lemon juice
1-2 tsp warm water

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 85g room temperature butter, 90g brown sugar, and 100g molasses. Beat on medium speed until fully combined. Add the egg yolk, scrape down the sides, and mix again until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together 235g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, and several cracks of freshly ground black pepper. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until the dough starts to clump together. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured clean surface and knead lightly into a ball. Sprinkling with flour as needed to avoid sticking, roll the dough out with a rolling pin until a little more than ⅛-inch thick (you can go as thick as ¼-inch).

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet or two with silicon mats or parchment paper.

If you’re using cookie stamps, dip them in flour and shake off the excess, then stamp the dough all over, keeping the stamped shapes as close together as possible to maximize dough surface area. Using a round cookie cutter slightly smaller than the stamps (the one I use is just shy of 3-inches), cut out the stamped circles and place on a prepared baking sheet. Reroll the dough one more time and repeat with the stamps and cutter until you have about a dozen cookies. If you have a tiny bit of leftover dough, roll out a little section, stamp, and then slice into random shapes (these can be the chef’s treat).

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Remove from the oven (they’ll set more as they cool so don’t worry if they still look quite soft) and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.

While the cookies bake, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, sift 80g powdered sugar with ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon, then whisk in 1 tbsp melted butter, 1 tbsp spiced rum or lemon juice, and 1 tsp warm water. It should be the consistency of runny honey, so if it’s a bit thick add another tsp or so of warm water.

Once the cookies have cooled for exactly 5 minutes, brush the glaze on them. Carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy fresh or within the next 48 hours if you can!