Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

This dessert uses a straightforward gingerbread dough rolled and cut into cookies, baked until set, then decorated with royal icing. The cookies are firm enough for clean edges, with a tender bite after cooling.

By Julienne

Cook time: 14 minutes

Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 375 g all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 5 g baking soda
• 6 g ground ginger
• 4 g ground cinnamon
• 1 g ground cloves
• 3 g fine salt
• 115 g unsalted butter softened
• 150 g packed brown sugar light or dark
• 120 g molasses
• 1 count large egg room temperature
• 5 ml vanilla extract
• 30 ml water 30 ml for the dough and 15 ml for the icing
• 240 g powdered sugar sifted
• 5 ml lemon juice fresh or bottled
• 15 ml water 30 ml for the dough and 15 ml for the icing

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 175°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Oven is fully preheated and pans are lined.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. The dry ingredients are evenly combined with no visible spice streaks.
3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth and slightly fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, egg, vanilla, and 30 ml water until combined. The mixture looks glossy and uniform, with no streaks of butter or egg remaining.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just until a soft dough forms. If the dough feels sticky, chill it for 15 minutes before rolling. The dough is cohesive and no dry flour remains; it should feel pliable, not wet.
5. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 6 mm thickness and cut into shapes. Transfer the cut cookies to the prepared sheets, spacing them about 2.5 cm apart. The cookies hold their shape after transfer and the tray is filled without crowding.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes per batch, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are set and the centers look slightly puffed and matte. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies lift cleanly from the parchment and feel set at the edges while still tender in the center.
7. For the icing, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and 15 ml water in a small bowl until smooth and pipeable. Add a few more drops of water only if needed; optional extra water should be added gradually so the icing stays thick enough to hold lines. The icing ribbons off the whisk and slowly settles back into the bowl surface within a few seconds.
8. Pipe or spoon the icing onto the cooled cookies and let it set for about 20 minutes before serving or packing. The icing is dry to the touch and no longer smears when moved.