Gingerbread holiday cookies

I made this recipe once before when I made these gingerbread trees.  I followed it almost exactly that time and really liked the results.  This time I made a few more tweaks, including modifying the flours I used.  I also halved the original recipe.  To produce perhaps two dozen cookies (of varying sizes) plus three tiny houses, here's what I used:

6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
3/8 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/8 cup unsulphured molasses
1/2 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon whole milk powder*
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup King Arthur white whole wheat flour (12.2% protein)
1/4 cup Trader Joe's all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 heaping teaspoon Tellicherry black pepper, freshly ground

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth, 3–4 minutes. Add the molasses and continue mixing until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and continue mixing until homogeneous, about 2 minutes more. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until completely blended. On a lightly floured sheet of waxed paper, press dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

When you're ready to bake the cookies, roll the dough out to between 1/8" and 1/4" thick, depending on your preference and the handling of your dough.  Chill between activities as necessary for ease of handling, which might mean placing the rolled dough and/or cut cookies in the refrigerator or freezer for several minutes.  Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness and preference for soft or crisp cookies.  (For soft cookies, the edges should be semi-firm but the centers still soft.)  Cool on baking sheet a few minutes, then move to a wire rack.

*The original recipe calls for 1½ teaspoons of milk.  I don't know what role such a small amount of milk plays.  The dough was very soft, so I doubt extra moisture was needed.  Perhaps it helps keep the cookie soft, the way milk helps produce a soft bread.  This time, I used milk powder instead, without trying to figure out how much powder equaled that amount of liquid milk.  A teaspoon was probably too much, but I don't see that it would cause any harm.

I decided to leave out anise seed, which I had used previously, because what I have is getting old and tasting a bit herby, but I think it would be a good addition if fresh.  I doubled the allspice called for because, although I ground it from whole berries, there wasn't much flavor.  I got the idea to add a spicy black pepper from these gingerbread men.  I'd also like to try adding turmeric-- maybe next time.

I didn't have any bread flour as called for in the original recipe, but the white whole wheat I used contains the appropriate amount of gluten-forming protein.  The Trader Joe's AP flour has a higher protein content than the Gold Medal, but I don't know whether it's the right type for gluten formation.  So I might or might not have the intended amount of gluten in the dough.  And I'm not convinced it makes any difference anyway, because any bread baker knows it takes a lot of kneading to create gluten, and that doesn't happen in this recipe.  (Although I did let the dough rest for two days; time will also cause gluten development.)

I baked the light bulbs 8 minutes, the ladies 7½ minutes (I failed to turn the pan and one started to over-brown on the edge), and the smallest pieces (which were the house parts) 6½ minutes (which wasn't enough-- they felt undone rather than soft-baked, but still turned out okay.)

Conclusion:  Initially, these tasted too sweet!  Like, WAY too sweet.  How could that be?  Was it the sugar topping?  And I even questioned whether they were too spicy.  But after a few days, they tasted better.  (The tiny houses had a little royal icing gluing them together and that was not too sweet of an addition, but might have been if they'd been decorated.)  It was probably a combination of letting the flavors blend and my getting away from them for a fresh approach.  These should probably be made and stored for at least a week before eating as they seem to get better with time.  I finished the last of them on March 1 and they were still soft, spicy, and delicious.

Recipe:  "Spiced Gingerbread Cookies" from The Cookie Book by Rebecca Firth