Happy Friday! With the start of December, I’m ready for all of the holiday cookies! I grabbed some new cookie cutters from ShopDisney and just had to test them out with my favorite holiday cookies — gingerbread! These soft and delicious Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies are shaped like Mickey and Minnie ornaments with a chocolate coating and royal icing decorations!
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For these cookies, I started with my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe but substituted in dark brown sugar. Changing up the sugar made this batch a bit softer and have a touch more molasses flavor, but honestly I love both versions! I’ve included the brown sugar version of the recipe below so you can try whichever one sounds better to you!
To make the cookie dough, start by combining the flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until its light and fluffy. Add the eggs and molasses and beat until combined. Gradually add in the flour mixture and beat until combined, making sure the scrape down the sides of the bowl. Divide the dough in half and shape into a 1 inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Roll the dough out to 1/2 or 1/4 inch thickness. I tend to like a thicker cookie so I usually go closer to 1/2 inch. Cut out using cookie cutters and place on parchment lined baking sheets. For these cookies, I used cookie cutters from shopDisney. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until cookies are firm and the edges are starting to brown. Cool 1 minute on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cookies are cooling, make the royal icing. For my icing, I like to use meringue powder instead of egg white. Whisk the powdered sugar and the meringue powder together. Beat in the warm water on low speed until combined, then turn to high speed and beat until the icing holds stiff peaks. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
To add the chocolate, dip the Mickey ears into melted chocolate. I used Ghirardelli’s Dark Cocoa Melting Wafers as they set quickly. I also dipped the bow shaped cookies in chocolate. Once the chocolate has set, decorate the cookies however you’d like!
I based my decorations off of gingerbread ornament patterns and some ornament cookies that are available at Disneyland. To attach the chocolate dipped bows to the Minnie cookies, just pipe some royal icing on the back of the bow and place it on top of the larger cookie. Make sure to let the icing dry completely (a couple hours) before stacking and storing the cookies.
Enjoy these Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies! Happy Cookie Season!
Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 3 cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup unsulphured molasses, original or robust
Royal Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water
Decoration
- 1/2 cup chocolate melting wafers (dark cocoa), melted
Equipment
- Mickey and Minnie cookie cutters
- piping bags
- small round piping tips
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookies
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add in egg and molasses and beat until well combined.
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Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until incorporated.
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Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
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When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
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On a lightly floured surface,, roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. If you like a thicker cookie, aim for about ½ inch thickness, but know they’ll take a little longer to bake.
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Dip cookie cutters in a little bit of flour and then cut out the cookies from the dough.
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Place cut out cookies on prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes, until cookies are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.
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Cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Royal Icing
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In a large bowl, beat sugar and meringue powder together until combined.
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Add water and beat in medium to high speed until very glossy and hold stiff peaks.
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If needed, add more water or sugar to get the right consistency.
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Transfer icing to a piping bag with a round tip to decorate.
Decoration
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Dip the Mickey ears and bow cookies into the melted chocolate. Let the chocolate set.
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Decorate the cookies in desired patterns using the royal icing.