Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (50g)
• 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
• 1/4 cup dark molasses (70g)
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour: fluffed and spooned into the measuring cup (290g)
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (454g or a 1 lb. box)
• 3 Tbsp meringue powder (28g)
• 1/3 cup water, room temp (80g)
• 2 Tbsp vanilla or almond extract (24g)
• Additional water to bring to a flooding consistency
• Red Gel food coloring
• Green Gel food coloring
• Black Gel food coloring
• 1 cup white sanding sugar - optional

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Gingerbread Cookies ---

2. 2

   This recipe requires some chill time for the dough, so wait to turn your oven on until after the dough is made. Cream 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 packed light brown sugar together in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Mix on a medium-high speed with an electric mixer until the mixture becomes lighter in color (about 2 minutes).

3. 3

   Mix in 1 large egg and 1/4 cup molasses on a medium speed until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.

4. 4

   Add 2 1/4 cups flour, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves, and 1/4 tsp salt into the wet ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is properly mixed together.

5. 5

   At this point, the dough should still be pretty thick. Divide the dough in half and wrap each portion of dough in a piece of plastic wrap. I like to flatten the dough into a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch tall to make it easier to roll out once it's chilled.

6. 6

   Chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour or in the freezer for 15 minutes. You can also make the dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a few days. If you chill the dough overnight, let it sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before trying to roll it out. This will make it easier to roll out!

7. 7

   Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.

8. 8

   Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, leaving the other in there to continue to chill. Unwrap the cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap out flat on your counter. We will be rolling out the cookie dough on the plastic wrap to make cleanup a breeze and to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Dust the top of the cookie dough and your rolling pin with flour.

9. 9

   Roll the chilled dough to be 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes with a flour-dusted cookie cutter. I used a 2-inch circle cutter and a 2-inch snowflake cutter, but any shape should work! The cookies will spread a bit as they bake, so place them about 2 inches apart. If you want to minimize spreading, you can chill the cut-out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.

10. 10

    Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 10-11 minutes on the middle rack of your oven (bake time can vary quite a bit based on the size and shape of the cookies, and the thickness of the dough). Err on the side of under-baking the cookies, as we want them to be soft and chewy! The edges should be set, but it's ok if the centers are still a little bit soft - remember that they will continue to bake on the hot pan once they're out of the oven. Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

11. 11

    While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps, rewrap them in plastic wrap, and pop them back in the fridge to chill.

12. 12

    Pull out the 2nd chilled portion of dough and repeat steps 7-10. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

13. 13

    --- Vanilla Royal Icing ---

14. 14

    While the cookies bake and cool, make the royal icing. Whisk together 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp of meringue powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

15. 15

    Add 1/3 cup water and 2 Tbsp of vanilla or almond extract. Mix at a low speed with a whisk or paddle attachment first to incorporate the liquid, then increase to a medium speed and mix until stiff peaks form. This usually takes me about 3 minutes with a hand mixer or 2 minutes with a stand mixer. Scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is properly mixed together.

16. 16

    Next, mix in additional water 1 Tbsp at a time until a soft peak consistency is reached. I used about 2 Tbsp of water, but it can vary from batch to batch. To test the consistency, dip the spatula into the icing and focus on the way it curls at the end of the spatula. It should curl back onto itself but still be able to keep its shape (see picture in post above). You should have roughly 18 ounces of icing.

17. 17

    Then it's time to color the icing. Scoop 8 ounces (or about 1 cup) of the uncolored icing into a large piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.

18. 18

    Next, scoop 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of icing into a separate small bowl. Color the icing red with a generous squirt of red gel food coloring. Scoop the icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.

19. 19

    Then scoop 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of icing into the same bowl. Color the icing green with a generous squirt of green gel food coloring. Scoop the icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.

20. 20

    The last color we have to make is black! Scoop 3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) of icing into the same bowl and color it black with a generous squirt of black gel food coloring. Scoop the icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.

21. 21

    The final step is to thin out the remaining white icing by adding in more water, 1 tsp at a time, until the icing reaches flood consistency. To test the consistency, the icing should be able to run off the spatula in a thick stream, and you should be able to draw a figure 8 with the run-off icing. It should settle back into the bowl of icing within 8 seconds. Once the icing is thinned to this stage, pour it into a large piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.

22. 22

    --- Decorating These Gingerbread Cookies ---

23. 23

    When you're ready to decorate the fully cooled cookies, cut the tips of the piping bags to create a very small opening (1-2 millimeters). You can always cut the opening wider, but you can't make it smaller once you cut it. I find it's a lot easier to control the icing as you decorate the cookies if you have a small opening.

24. 24

    Use the thicker consistency icing to decorate the gingerbread cookies with cute faces and swirls like in the photos above. For the cookies that have large sections of white icing that look like they're dripping, outline the area you want to cover with the thicker white icing, then flood the inside of the outline with the thinner white icing. If desired, sprinkle white sanding sugar over the icing while it's still wet to give the cookies a bit of texture and sparkle.

25. 25

    Let the cookies dry for a few hours until the icing is firm to the touch, then enjoy! These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer. If you plan to stack them on top of each other, I recommend placing parchment paper between the layers of cookies.