Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies

Overhead view of iced gingerbread cookies on a white marble surface.

5 from 2 votes

These are truly the BEST gingerbread cookies! This recipe makes soft and chewy gingerbread cookies full of festive holiday flavor. My simple icing recipe makes it easy to decorate these cookies as snowflakes, Christmas trees, gingerbread men, and more!

Prep Time1 15

Cook Time10

Chill Time1

Total Time3 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: European

Servings:

Calories: 175kcal

Author: Allison Ferraro

Equipment

Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Rolling Pin
Cookie cutters
Pastry bag

Ingredients

Cookie Dough:

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg room temperature
½ cup molasses

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 ½ Tablespoons milk
⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the gingerbread cookies.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat on medium speed until combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. The dough will be quite thick.
Divide the dough in thirds, form each third into a ball, flatten, and wrap with plastic. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before you’re ready to begin rolling out the dough.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Place one of the thirds of dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough until it’s ⅛ inch thick.
Cut the dough using snowflake cookie cutters (or any cookie cutters you like) and transfer the cookie cut outs to a baking sheet.
Bake the cookies 8 to 10 minutes. They should become slightly crisp but not darker in color. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the icing.

Whisk the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until the mixture is smooth. The mixture should slowly drip, but not run, when poured from a spoon. If the mixture is too runny, add a little bit more sugar. If it’s too thick, add a little bit more milk.

Decorate the cookies.

When your cookies are completely cool, spoon the icing into a piping bag or a plastic squeeze bottle and pipe the icing onto the cookies. (You can also use a thick plastic bag with one corner of the bag cut off in a pinch.)

Notes

Storage: Store gingerbread snowflake cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Be careful when stacking decorated cookies; the icing is firm but not rock-solid and may become slightly squished when cookies are stacked.

Freezing: Baked cookies can be frozen, sealed in an airtight container, for up to 2 months. It's best to freeze cookies undecorated, adding the icing after defrosting, though the icing can be frozen if necessary.

Gingerbread cookie recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.

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