Gingerbread Cookies


Here is what you need:

For the cookies:

  • 2/3 cup softened butter
  • 2/3 cup molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tbls ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves

For the royal icing:

  • 2 lbs powdered sugar
  • 5 or 11-12 tbls egg whites (pasteurized)
  • piping bags
  • 1/2 tsp Cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp flavoring (vanilla, lemon, etc.)
  • food coloring

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For the cookies: In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. In a different bowl mix wet ingredients, then mix the two bowls together to form a dough. Take the dough and wrap in plastic wrap, put in fridge for a few hours. Take chilled dough out. Roll on a floured surface, cut into shapes, place on parchment lined baking tray. Cook for 8 min. Let cookies fully cool off before decorating.

For the royal icing: pour egg whites into bowl and add powdered sugar in half a cup at a time, mix till incorporated each time you add more powdered sugar. The first time you add powdered sugar add the cream of tartar, this isn’t just for flavor, it helps keep icing a pretty white color and not turn yellow (unless you add yellow food coloring). Keep adding the powdered sugar till you get a stiff consistency, think a little stiffer than toothpaste. Now add in your flavor (this may change the color of the icing so keep that in mind). Now mix in drops of your food coloring till you get your desired color. Once your happy with the color you will need to decide the consistency you want (stiff, flood, etc.) when your covering the whole cookie you want a “flood” consistency, when your doing detail work you want it stiffer. Your going to add a teeeeeeeeny tiny bit of water at a time till you get the consistency you want. If you accidentally add too much water just mix in more powdered sugar to get it stiffer again. Use piping bags to decorate!