Gingerbread Cookie Cutouts With Buttercream Frosting
Spiced gingerbread cutout cookies are decorated with Christmas-colored frosting and sprinkles in this festive holiday recipe.
Prep Time12 hourshrs
Cook Time8 minutesmins
Total Time12 hourshrs8 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Christmas Cookies, Gingerbread cookies, Gingerbread cutout cookies
Servings: 24Cookies
Calories: 204kcal
Ingredients
For the cookies:
½cupunsalted buttersoftened
¾cuppacked dark brown sugar
⅓cupmolasses
1egg
2tablespoonswater
2-⅔cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsground ginger
1teaspooncinnamon
½teaspoonnutmeg
¼teaspoonground cloves
1teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
For the frosting:
2sticks unsalted butterat room temperature
3cupspowdered sugar
1teaspoonvanilla
Special equipment:
Parchment paper
Holiday cookie cutters
Wilton Food Coloring Gels
Small pastry bags with couplers and various tips
Assorted holiday sprinkles
Instructions
Day 1:
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses, egg, and water. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until a sticky dough ball forms. Transfer the dough to sheet of plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate overnight and up to 1 week.
Day 2:
Set the butter for the frosting out to soften at room temperature while you roll and bake the cutout cookies.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Place half of your gingerbread dough on a sheet of parchment paper dusted with flour. Dust the top of your dough lightly with flour, and place a second piece of paper over the dough (your dough will essentially be sandwiched between two sheets of paper and light dustings of flour. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough out to ⅛'' thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes. Place the cutouts about 1'' apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on your baking sheet before using a spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies need to cool for 1 hour prior to frosting.
While your cookies are cooling, make your frosting. Place butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 90 seconds. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed for 1 minute. Increase speed to high and beat for 2-3 minutes until thick and fluffy.
Divide frosting into the amount of bowls needed to make your desired number of colors. Add food coloring gels in ⅛ teaspoon increments, stirring with each addition, until desired colors are achieved.
Transfer each frosting to its own pastry bag fitted with a coupler and piping tips.
Frost each cookie as desired, adding sprinkles immediately after cookie is frosted. Let the cookie dry in open air for about 2 hours before transferring them to an airtight container. Cookies will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Notes
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