Gingerbread Halloween Cookies

In the shapes of bats, witches, and ghosts, these cut-out gingerbread Halloween cookies are both a spooky and whimsical dessert idea to celebrate Halloween.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookie, gingerbread, gingerbread cookies, halloween

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes

Decorating Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 31 minutes

Servings

Calories 175kcal

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Royal Icing:

4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons warm water (to start, plus 4-6 more)
1 tablespoon corn syrup
brown and black gel food coloring

Decoration:

black coarse sugar
coarse sugar
brown chocolate sprinkles

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar for three to four minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla. Mix to combine.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate the dough overnight or for at least 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Divide the chilled dough in two. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough so it is about one-fourth to one-half inch thick. Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place the shapes about one inch apart on a cookie sheet. Place the baking sheet of cookies into the freezer for about five minutes.
Remove the cookies from the freezer and bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies barely start to brown. Cool for 30-60 seconds on the cookie sheet. Then, transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
While the cookies cool, prepare the royal icing. Add the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of a stand mixer. (You can also use a hand mixer.) Whisk to combine.
With the mixer on low, add one tablespoon of warm water at a time. Once all six tablespoons have been added, add in the corn syrup.
Continue to mix on low-medium speed adding more warm water, one tablespoon at a time, to achieve the desired consistency. The ideal consistency is something that is a bit thicker than corn syrup.*
Divide the icing into three separate bowls. Add food coloring to each of the bowls (except for one) to achieve the desired color. I used black and brown.
Transfer the icing to a piping bag or piping bottle. (I've linked the bottles I used in the notes section below.**)
Then, pipe on the icing. I do one color at a time, let it sit, and proceed with the next. Add the coarse sugar and sprinkles immediately after applying the icing to ensure that they stick to it.
Allow the icing to completely harden. Then, pack and store these cookies in an airtight container separating each layer with wax/parchment paper.

Notes

*Making "proper" royal icing takes time and practice. You need to get a feel for it to know the consistency you need. During my first adventure with royal icing, it took me 30 minutes to figure it out and I still needed to adjust things. Have patience and take your time.

**You can find the icing bottles I used HERE.

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