DIY Gingerbread Cookies with Easy Royal Icing

The smell of gingerbread cookies baking and the spicy sweet taste embodies Christmas for me. If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen this photo and know that I was making gingerbread people. I make them every year. I love topping them with touches of white icing, but don't want to fuss with elaborate royal icing recipes. That's where my two ingredient easy royal icing comes in. These are the perfect Christmas cookie topped with the easiest royal icing;

Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients;

2 &1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup molasses

Instructions;

In a large bowl combine flour, spices, salt, and baking soda.

In bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat together butter and brown sugar for about 1 minute.

Scrape down sides and beat in eggs, one at a time.

Lower speed and add about half of the flour mixture.

Scrape sides and add remaining mixture one half cup at a time.

Scrape dough onto large piece of plastic wrap.

Press dough down to about half inch thickness.

Wrap and refrigerate from 2 hours to overnight.

When ready to bake preheat oven to 350F.

Unwrap dough and cut in half.

Place one half on floured surface, refrigerate other half.

Roll out dough untill about 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut dough into desired shapes such as gingerbread men and women.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Let cool and decorate with Easy Icing (recipe below).

(dough recipe adapted from here)

Easy Royal Icing Ingredients;

2 cups powdered sugar

water

Instructions;

In a large bowl put the powdered sugar.

Slowly add water until desired thickness.

Start slow with a tablespoon of water.

Combine sugar and water with a spoon.

Increase by one half teaspoon until you reach your desired icing thickness.

Add food coloring if desired (like I did last year).

Spoon icing into piping or sandwich bags, cut the tip, and decorate.

Ginger Bread Cookie Design Tip;

For beautiful winter shapes, cut dough into circles with a circle shaped cookie cutter.

Press crystal cut glass into the tops to create snowflake like patterns.

I used a drinking glass, a wine glass, and the lid of a decanter.
If you don't have any crystal cut glass, check thrift shops, you can find plenty very inexpensive!