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Gingerbread Roll Out Cookies and Royal Icing

I'm sharing the way to make classic gingerbread cookies with royal icing, along with a gluten free and vegan options for this always egg-free recipe, with all the know-how to roll out  beautifully-baked cookies that are easily iced.You'll also learn my different tips to making fuss-free, cut-out cookies and different ways to assemble and decorate special, gift-worthy treats with gingerbread.Over the years, this recipe has become a "mandatory" treat around the holidays at home.
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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

cookie dough
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, softened 1 stick (substitute vegan butter for a dairy-free and vegan alternative-recipe)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups all purpose flour simply substitute a one-to-one ration gluten free flour mix if you would like this recipe to be made gluten-free. Please note that the cookie dough will be softer and will take fewer minutes to bake.
royal icing
  • 4 cups powdered/confectioners sugar I do not sift.
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 9 tablespoons warm, filtered water

Method
 

cookie dough prep
  1. In a standing mixer, with the standard paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda until mixture is smooth. Add molasses. Blend in flour to make a stiff dough. You'll know it is done mixing when the dough has completely lifted from the bowl. 
  2. Cover the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until you are ready to start rolling out the cookies.
  3. preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
rolling out cookies for cutting
  1. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the inside of your cookie sheet. Lightly dust it with flour.
  2. Hand-kneed enough dough to cover your sheet and place in the center with a floured rolling pin.
  3. Roll out your dough to fit inside the parchment paper. I like to have the dough down to a smooth, 1/8 of an inch.
  4.  Place as many cuts with your cookie cutter(s), without having the cuts touch.
  5. Lift off  and remove the uncut portions of dough from the parchment paper.
  6. Move the cut pieces, so that they can bake with enough room, and without touching.
  7. Hold the paper by opposite corners of the parchment paper and place it inside your cookie sheet.
  8. My cookies bake perfectly in my home oven for 13 minutes. You will want to check them after 11 minutes. It will also depend on how thinly you roll the dough.The number of servings will depend on the size cutter you use.Leave out to completely cool before decorating.
royal icing
  1. Using a standing mixer, with a scraping, paddle attachment, place all of the ingredients in the bowl and start mixing at a low speed until ingredients are incorporated together. Increase to a medium speed, for 5 minutes.