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Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
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Bake soft, chewy gingerbread cookies topped with beautiful royal icing. This recipe is perfect for beginners and sure to impress!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 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. Cream 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar together in a large bowl.
  2. Mix on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until the mixture becomes lighter in color, about 2 minutes.
  3. Mix in 1 large egg and 1/4 cup molasses on medium speed until combined.
  4. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
  5. 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.
  6. Mix on low speed until just combined.
  7. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is properly mixed together.
  8. Divide the dough in half.
  9. Wrap each portion of dough in a piece of plastic wrap.
  10. Flatten the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch tall.
  11. Chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour or in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  12. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C about 30 minutes before rolling out the dough.
  13. Line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
  14. Take one piece of dough out of the fridge.
  15. Unwrap the cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap out flat on your counter.
  16. Dust the top of the cookie dough and your rolling pin with flour.
  17. Roll the chilled dough to be 1/4 inch thick.
  18. Cut out shapes with a flour-dusted cookie cutter.
  19. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  20. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 10-11 minutes on the middle rack of your oven.
  21. Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes.
  22. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  23. While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps.
  24. Rewrap the scraps in plastic wrap.
  25. Pop the dough scraps back in the fridge to chill.
  26. Pull out the second chilled portion of dough.
  27. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking steps with the second dough portion.
  28. Repeat with the chilled dough scraps until all dough is used.
  29. Whisk together 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp meringue powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
  30. Add 1/3 cup water and 2 Tbsp vanilla or almond extract.
  31. Mix at a low speed with a whisk or paddle attachment first to incorporate the liquid.
  32. Increase to a medium speed and mix until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
  33. Scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  34. Mix in additional water 1 Tbsp at a time until a soft peak consistency is reached.
  35. Scoop 8 ounces (about 1 cup) of the uncolored icing into a large piping bag.
  36. Seal the top of the piping bag and set aside.
  37. Scoop 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of icing into a separate small bowl.
  38. Color the icing red with a generous squirt of red gel food coloring.
  39. Scoop the red icing into a small piping bag and seal the top.
  40. Set aside the red icing.
  41. Scoop 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of icing into the same bowl.
  42. Color the icing green with a generous squirt of green gel food coloring.
  43. Scoop the green icing into a small piping bag and seal the top.
  44. Set aside the green icing.
  45. Scoop 3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) of icing into the same bowl.
  46. Color the icing black with a generous squirt of black gel food coloring.
  47. Scoop the black icing into a small piping bag and seal the top.
  48. Set aside the black icing.
  49. Thin out the remaining white icing by adding in more water, 1 tsp at a time, until it reaches flood consistency.
  50. Pour the thinned white icing into a large piping bag and seal the top.
  51. Cut the tips of the piping bags to create a very small opening (1-2 millimeters).
  52. Use the thicker colored icing to decorate the gingerbread cookies with outlines, faces, and swirls.
  53. For large sections of white icing, outline the area with the thicker white icing.
  54. Flood the inside of the outline with the thinner white icing.
  55. If desired, sprinkle white sanding sugar over the icing while it's still wet.
  56. Let the decorated cookies dry for a few hours until the icing is firm to the touch.

Notes

Always spoon and level your flour for accuracy, don’t scoop directly from the bag.
Chilling the dough is crucial for preventing spread and maintaining cookie shape.
Err on the side of under-baking for soft, chewy cookies.
Start with a very small snip on your piping bag tip – you can always make it bigger!

Nutrition

Find it online: https://pinchofwarmthbakes.com/easy-gingerbread-cookies-royal-icing/