Wander & Wonder

Yield: 24

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

I N G R E D I E N T S

DOUGH:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice (you can use nutmeg or pumpkin spice as alternatives)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3 ½ cups flour

ROYAL ICING:

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 egg white
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• A few drops of water (to adjust consistency)

R E C I P E

1. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices. Heat until all ingredients are well-combined and the texture is smooth.
2. Transfer the mix to the bowl of your stand-mixer and let it cool to room temperature. Beat in the egg.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder and baking soda with the flour.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture and whisk until fully combined. The dough will be very wet and sticky.
5. Divide the dough into two parts, cover each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough on a flat surface and use a gingerbread cookie cutter to make about 12 cookies per ball of dough.
7. Place the gingerbread cookies on parchment paper or silicone liners.
8. Bake 6-8 minutes until slightly brown. The cookies should still be soft!
9. As the cookies are cooling, start making the royal icing:
   • First, beat the egg white with the vanilla extract until it becomes foamy.
   • Then add the sifted powdered sugar on low speed. Increase to medium speed once it is fully added in.
   • Add very small amounts of water until the icing is slightly runnier (the texture should be like toothpaste). Transfer to a piping bag and use immediately (it hardens very quickly).

T I P S

• Cover your flat surface and rolling pin with flour to make the dough less sticky when rolling it out.
• The baking time really depends on the size of your gingerbread cookies. I recommend starting with 6 minutes and adding an extra minute at a time. These cookies harden really quickly and ideally they should still be soft when you take them out of the oven!
• Feel free to add some color to the royal icing and get creative with your decorations!

The first time I made this recipe, I didn’t have a cookie cutter or a rolling pin. I improvised by crafting a cookie cutter from a recycled tin can (see below) and used a wine bottle to roll out the dough. Proof that you can make it work—no excuses!

Whether you want to eat the cookies plain, with a bit of simple decoration, or go all out with festive colors and designs, these cookies are simply perfect for the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

P.S. Of all the gingerbread cookies I decorated, this one was my favorite (isn’t he so cute):