Edible Gingerbread Cookie Ornaments
These crispy homemade gingerbread ornaments taste delicious and look gorgeous when hung on your Christmas tree. These spicy cutout cookies are perfect for kids to decorate and eat!
Servings: 55 cookies
Calories: 82kcal
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons strong coffee cooled
For the Icing
- 1 cup icing sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
Making the Cookie Dough
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices and set aside.
- Put the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg, molasses, coffee, and two large spoonfuls of the flour mixture and beat until well blended.
- Mix in the flour on medium-low speed in three additions, being careful to blend all the ingredients thoroughly without overmixing.
- Split the dough into three equal discs and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for a minimum of 1 hour.
Rolling & Cutting
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 11 by 17-inch cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut two large pieces of parchment paper and lay them on a clean work surface. Dust one with flour.
- Unwrap one of the dough disks, leaving the others in the fridge. Place it on the floured parchment and put the other piece of parchment on top. Roll out the gingerbread dough to about ⅛-inch thick and cut out the cookies with a cutter or paper template.
- Transfer them to the prepared trays and repeat with the remaining dough. You will probably have enough to fill about 4 trays, so just reuse the 2 trays after the cookies have baked.
Baking
- Bake each tray one at a time in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. For crisp cookies, they should be set in the middle and firm around the edges with only a hint of darkening around the edges. For soft cookies, bake until the edges are set, but not browned. Keep in mind that they will harden up as they cool.
- Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Decorating
- Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl and gradually stir the filtered water a few drops at a time, until the icing is a thick but pipeable consistency.
- Spoon the icing into the corner of a plastic sandwich bag, twist the top, and snip off the corner to make a piping bag. Pipe the icing on as desired, and let it harden for 15 minutes before eating.
- If making into ornaments, let the icing harden for a few hours. If necessary, enlarge the hole in the cookie with a metal skewer before threading a ribbon, string, or yarn through. Hang the ornaments on your tree or garlands.
Notes
- Handle the dough gently. Mix it well enough to combine the ingredients, then stop.
- Sticky dough? Mix in an additional ¼ to ½ cup of flour (30-60g).
- Roll it out between two pieces of parchment. This will keep the dough from sticking.
- Be careful not to underbake. They will be done when the edges are slightly darkened.
- Make ahead. Freeze the undecorated cookies, thaw, decorate, and use as ornaments.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
