A Bountiful Kitchen: Cutler's Gingerbread Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

Tuesday morning at South Fork Hardware local baker and restaurant owner Curt Cutler from Cutler's Cookies taught a Christmas Cookie class. Cutler's has been a household name in Bountiful for over thirty years now. Curt's mother started the business in the former 5 Points Mall in Bountiful. What she started has grown into a family business that bakes cookies and cupcakes, and makes sandwiches, soups and salads year round. Cutler's bakes a variety of specialty cookies too at holiday time. My favorites are the Iced Gingerbread, Mexican Wedding cookies (aka Snowball cookies), and the Gingerbread cookies with Butter cream Frosting. Gingerbread topped with butter cream are one of my all time favorite cookies.
Forget about breakfast. And lunch.
Is a gingerbread cookie an acceptable meal replacement? Yes, I think it is.

Cutler's Gingerbread Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Cutler's Cookies
print recipe

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine*
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses (Curt prefers the Grandma's brand)
1/2 teaspoon slat
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ginger
1 1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 1/2 cups cake flour (more if needed, so it's not too sticky)**

Cream butter, margarine and sugar. Add egg and molasses and stir until combined.
Mix dry ingredients together and gradually stir into the molasses mixture.
Chill dough for about 1-2 hours. Chilling the dough makes it easier to handle if rolling dough out to make cut out cookies.
When ready to bake, scoop the dough, using an ice cream or large cookie scoop.
Drop onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 6 per sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. Cookies are done when top is crackled and middle no longer looks wet or shiny.
This dough may be used to make gingerbread men.

Tips:
-*You may also use all butter, a combination of butter and margarine, or a cup of butter flavored Crisco.
- If desired, roll the dough in sugar before baking.
-**Cutler's uses a commercial cake flour. If you use all purpose flour, start with 4 cups of flour, and add more flour as needed to produce a dough that is not too sticky.

Cutler's Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the butter and the powdered sugar together until smooth in a large bowl, or a mixer with the paddle or whisk attachment. Add vanilla. Beat well. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time until the frosting is at desired consistency. Continue beating until smooth.
Frost the cooled cookies.