Description
Throw a fun and festive Gingerbread Man Decorating Party this holiday season! Here, we bring you recipes, tips, and everything you need for a great event.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the Royal Icing:
- 2 egg whites
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Food coloring (red, green, blue, pink)
Instructions
- Make the gingerbread. Using a hand or a standing electric mixer, cream together the room temperature butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg until incorporated, then add in the molasses, vanilla, and orange zest. Scrape the bottom of the bowl well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the salt, all of the spices, and the baking powder and soda. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture in 3 additions. Beat until just combined, but do not over-mix. Scrape the bottom of the bowl in between additions.
- Divide the dough into two balls and cover with plastic wrap, flattening each ball into a disk. Refrigerate the dough overnight.
- Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4″ thick and cut into gingerbread men. You can re-roll the scraps once or twice. Place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until just set around the edges but still soft in the middle, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie cutter. Rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even baking.
- Make the icing. In a very clean bowl, beat the egg whites until slightly frothy. Add in the sugar slowly until completely combined. Add in the lemon juice. Beat the royal icing on medium-high speed until the icing is thick, forms stiff peaks, and is very white, about 5-8 minutes.
- Divide the icing into bowls and color your icing. Work quickly and cover the bowl of icing in plastic wrap or a damp towel, as royal icing will dry very quickly.