Decor Gingerbread Cookies (Printable)

Sturdy gingerbread with warm spices and royal icing, ideal for festive decorating and sharing.

# What's Needed:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tablespoon ground ginger
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
05 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
07 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

08 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
09 - 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
10 - 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
11 - 1 large egg
12 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ For Decorating

13 - Royal icing (from 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 large egg white or 2 tablespoons meringue powder, 1–2 tablespoons water)
14 - Assorted sprinkles, colored sugars, and candies (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
02 - Beat softened butter with dark brown sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
03 - Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture; beat until thoroughly combined.
04 - Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a soft dough is achieved.
05 - Divide dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F; line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
08 - Place cookie shapes on baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
09 - Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are just firm; cool on sheets 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Prepare royal icing and decorate cooled cookies; allow icing to set completely before storing.

# Tips for Success:

01 -
  • They're firm enough to hold fancy royal icing without cracking or sliding, which means you can actually go wild with your decorating ideas.
  • The spices taste warm and complex, not aggressively sweet, so even people who don't usually love gingerbread ask for seconds.
  • One batch makes about 24 cookies, and they keep for two weeks in a tin, turning this into the gift that actually works.
02 -
  • If your dough feels too sticky when you roll it out, you either didn't chill it long enough or your kitchen is too warm—stick it back in the fridge for 15 minutes and try again rather than adding flour, which changes the texture.
  • Don't overbake these; the moment the edges look set is the moment you pull them out, because they continue to firm up as they cool and you can always bake another batch if you underbake, but there's no fixing ones that are too hard.
  • Royal icing that's too thin will run off your cookies; too thick and you can't pipe it smoothly—the consistency should be like thick yogurt for piping and slightly thinner for brushing.
03 -
  • Roll your dough between two sheets of parchment paper to avoid sticky situations and keep cleanup to a minimum.
  • If your royal icing breaks or looks grainy, add a tiny bit more water—sometimes just one more teaspoon fixes everything.

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