Happy Friday! December seems to be a cookie month for me as all I can think about are Christmas cookies and so when I saw ShopDisney was offering a special Christmas baking set with new Mickey and Minnie cookie cutters, I immediately put in on my Christmas list. I may have opened my present a little bit early (shh!) but I just couldn’t resist giving these cookie cutters a test run! These soft and delicious Mickey & Minnie Gingerbread cookies are decorated with colorful royal icing!
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For these cookies, I started with my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe but since I was running low on granulated sugar, I 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. 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. Divide the icing into 3 bowls and mix in a few drops of red and green gel food coloring to two of the bowls so that you have white, red, and green icing. Transfer the icing to piping bags fitted with small round tips.
Decorate the cookies however you’d like! I based my decorations off of the pictures on the spatulas that came with the set. Make sure to let the icing dry completely (a couple hours) before stacking and storing the cookies.
Enjoy!
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.