25 Days of Cookies: This gingerbread woman cookie is the perfect treat for women who rule
These fun and festive treats are a perfect baking activity for Christmas Day.
Welcome to GMA 25 Days of Cookies. For 25 days, we are featuring cookie recipes that are perfect to make for the holiday season. Our celeb BFFs are sharing their cookie recipes with us and we’ve gathered some seasonal standouts that are sure to dazzle on your Instagram feed and Pinterest board.
Head to our full guide here to see the most beautiful, fun, seasonal, delicious holiday cookies worthy of your new Christmas traditions.
Who runs the world? Girls.
That's why we're featuring these gingerbread woman cookies.
These sweet gingerbread cookies are just the Christmas treat your family and friends will love.
Check out the step-by-step guide below.
Gingerbread woman cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice and cloves
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Gingerbread cookie cutout
For decorating:
4 pounds (two bags) confectioner’s sugar
3/4 c. meringue powder
1 1/3-1/2 c. warm water
2-4 tbsp. oil-free extract or flavoring
Food coloring for desired colors
Sprinkles for hair decorations
To make the cookies:
Melt butter in a saucepan set over low heat, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices.
Transfer it to a medium-sized mixing bowl and let it cool to lukewarm. Then beat in the egg.
Whisk the baking powder and soda into the flour, and then stir these dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.
Divide the dough in half, and wrap it. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.
Preheat your oven to 350F. Lay out several ungreased baking sheets.
Once the dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator, and flour a clean surface. Roll it out to whatever thickness you prefer.
Use flour under and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to the table or rolling pin.
Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.
To make the icing:
Add the dry ingredients to a mixer. Use your mixer’s whisk attachment to incorporate the sugar and meringue powder.
Add the extract to the water and slowly add it to the dry ingredients while mixing. At first the icing will be very liquid-like.
Continue to mix it at medium-high speed until it is fluffy and stiff peaks form, about 7-10 minutes. Mixing times are approximate, keep your eye on icing and stop mixing as soon as it becomes stiff. Over mixing and oil-containing extracts can keep the icing from setting up, so keep this in mind as you work.
Head to our full guide here for the most beautiful, fun and delicious holiday cookies that are sure to become a new tradition.
Tell us which cookies you're baking! Tweet @GMA using #25daysofcookies with your #25daysofcookies pictures and we may feature you on our GMA Facebook page or in our morning GMA newsletter! Deck the halls with lots of cookies, fa la la la la, la la la la!
Editor's note: This was originally published on Dec. 25, 2018.