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It is the best time of year for bakers! Our time to shine with all the merriment going around. It is also time to play around with new recipes and bake some gifts. I love to make a cookie charcuterie board. It’s been my favorite holiday time gathering treat. I always include a couple of classic cookies like sugar and gingerbread, but I usually add something new each year.
Gingerbread cookies are such a perfect holiday flavor with all of the warm spices in them. I love when they have crispy edges and a soft middle. The recipe I am sharing with you today has been in my holiday cookie line up for years. There are so many different ways you can decorate them and with all the cookie cutters, so many different shapes you can cut out.
I am going to share some pictures of my gingerbread cookies from over the years. Before I was a baking blogger, so the photos are a bit more home video style.
For icing and decoration, there are lot of different combinations. Some things I have used are cinnamon hots candies, festive sprinkles, and different flavors of icing. I have mostly used traditional Christmas cookie cutters for my gingerbread, but the options are endless.
In this particular recipe, the dough does need to be chilled for at least an hour. You can make this dough ahead of time and keep it chilling until you are ready to use it. If chilled more than 1 hour, make sure to take it out to thaw a little bit before you use it. I would say leaving it out at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before you are ready to roll it out.
I love to make these with friends or family. I hope you try out this recipe and share it with your friends and family too. When you make these delicious cookies, make sure to share a photo with me on social media so I can see the amazing cookies you make. Find other cookie recipes here.
Some of my Favorite Products used:
Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 3 cups AP Flour
- 1 tbsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Ground ginger
- ¾ tsp Ground cloves
- ½ tsp Ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¾ tsp Baking soda
- ¾ cup Salted butter, softened
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Molasses
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
Maple Royal Icing
- 2 lbs Powdered sugar
- 5 tbsp Meringue powder
- 2-3 tsp Maple extract
- ½ – ¾ cups Warm water
Instructions
To make the gingerbread cookies
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt and baking soda.
- In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg, molasses and vanilla extract.
- Reduce mixer to low and slowly add in the dry mixture to the wet until combined.
- Divide the dough into two. Wrap tight in plastic wrap and put in fridge to set for at least an hour.
- When ready to cut the cookies, preheat your oven to 350°. Prepare a couple of baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut into shapes. Place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8 – 12 minutes until edges are crisp. Remove and let cool. Transfer to a cooling rack after 5 minutes.
To make the icing
- Mix maple extract with ½ cup warm water. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, mix sugar and meringue powder.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the water & extract mixture. It will look lumpy to start.
- Add additional water if needed, mix until you get a honey like consistency.
- Turn the mixer up to medium speed and whip about 3 minutes or until soft peaks form.
- Color, if desired and fill a piping bag with the icing.
Decorating the cookies
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, decorate with the icing how ever you would like.
- Add additional candies, sprinkles or decorations as you wish.