Order by 11:00am central time for same-day shipping!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Gingerbread People

These soft gingerbread cookies are fun and easy to make and decorate.

gingerbread

On the eighth day of Christmas,

My true love sent to me

Eight gingerbread people,

Seven layer cookies,

Six Snickerdoodles,

Five Sugar Cookies,

Four Viennese Crescents,

Three Candy Cane cookies,

Two Toffee Squares,

And a cookie shaped like a Christmas tree.

These soft gingerbread cookies are fun and easy to make and decorate.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/8 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the molasses, brown sugar, water, butter, and egg until smooth.
  2. Combine the flour, baking soda, allspice, ginger, cloves and cinnamon, stir them into the wet mixture until all of the dry is absorbed. Cover the dough and chill for at least 3 hours.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
  5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Mix sugar, water, and meringue powder with a mixer on low speed until smooth, about 7 minutes. Icing should be the consistency of glue. (If icing is too thick, mix in a little more water. If icing is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar.)
  2. Add food coloring, 1 drop at a time, until desired color is achieved. If you are making more than 1 color, divide icing first.

Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Stir before using.

After cookies are fully cooled, decorate with the icing, sprinkles, sugar pearls, or sparkling sugar crystals. For gift-giving, place in gingerbread house treat boxes.

Resources:

WILTON 25 Piece Decorating Set

Holiday Mega Sprinkle Set

Colored Sugars Set

White Sugar Pearls

Blue Sugar Pearls

White Nonpareils

White Sparkling Sugar

Christmas Jumbo Nonpareils

Photo credit: Joana Petrova

This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on December 19th, 2014