Classic Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing!
In case you are still searching for a classic gingerbread cookie recipe- we got you!
We’ve made this recipe for the past few years for classes, parties, and… eating! Now is a wonderful time to bake up a tasty batch and spend a few fun hours decorating :)
Gingerbread Cookies
Makes 3 dozen
Ingredients
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup light molasses
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
4 to 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling dough
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, molasses and shortening. Place over medium-low heat and stir just until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and mix in baking soda and 1/4 cup cold water. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
Add egg, salt, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; stir to mix well. Add 4 cups flour and mix well, adding up to 1/2 cup more if dough seems sticky. Shape into a ball, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness, and cut into gingerbread boy shapes with a 5-inch-long cookie cutter. Arrange on baking sheets 1 1/2 inches apart, and bake until risen and no longer shiny, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cookies to cool. If desired, decorate with royal icing and cinnamon candies. Store in an airtight container.
Cookies we made last year colored with 100% natural dyes!
Royal Icing
Enough for about 3-4 dozen cookies
Ingredients
2 ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 large egg whites
Slightly less than ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch kosher salt
Food coloring, as needed
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk until stiff and glossy.
To tint the frosting, divide into small bowls. Cover the ones you aren’t using with plastic wrap; the frosting dries out very quickly. Use a rubber spatula to stir in desired food coloring. Though not necessary, it makes life easier if you make two versions of each color — one that is thick to pipe the outline on the cookie, and one that is thinned out slightly with a little water to flood the outline.
Transfer frosting to piping bags fitted with very small round tips (sizes 1 to 2 work best). Pipe frosting onto cooled cookies and let set, at least 2 hours. Or use a pastry of paint brush to decorate cookies with the frosting.
We like to use all natural dyes to color our icing.. just for fun! You can, of course, you gel food coloring instead :)
How to use all natural dyes:
For every 1 cup of royal icing...
Red - 1-2 tsp beet powder dissolved in 1 tbsp of water
Pink- ½ tsp beet powder dissolved in 1 tbsp of water
Blue/purple- Boil 2 cups shredded red cabbage and 1 1/2 cups water in a small pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the mixture from the heat, and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain, then return the mixture to the pot. Reduce to 3 to 4 tablespoons, then stir in a small pinch of baking soda—this will turn the color from purple to blue! *Add ~1 tsp of mixture.
Green- 1-2 tsp matcha powder dissolved in 1 tbsp of water
Orange/Yellow- 1-2 tsp carrot powder dissolved in 1 tbsp of water