Gingerbread Cookie Wreath
This Gingerbread Cookie Wreath is both a delightful holiday dessert and a fragrant, festive decoration.
Equipment
- 2 Cookie Sheet Pans Lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper
- 1 Hand Mixer or
- Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
- Cookie cutters
Ingredients
Gingerbread cookie dough
- ⅔ Cup Unsalted butter softened
- ¾ Cup Brown sugar light or dark
- ⅔ Cup Dark Molasses use unsulfured molasses
- 1 Large Egg room temperature
- 3 ½ Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Royal Icing
- 4 Cups Powdered sugar
- 5 Tablespoons Warm water
- 3 Tablespoons Meringue powder
- Optional gel food coloring
Instructions
Gingerbread dough
- Whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Sift flour through a fine mesh sieve if necessary to remove any lumps. Set aside.
- Place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (note - a hand-mixer may be used).
- Mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
- Add molasses to mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- Add egg to mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until combined, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Add dry ingredients (flour, spices, etc...) to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until well combined.
- Note: if dough appears crumbly, gently knead with your hands until it comes together.
- Divide dough in half and form into two flattened discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for 2 hours or until fully chilled.
Gingerbread wreath base
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 177℃
- Generously flour your work surface to prevent sticking. Take half of the dough and roll it out into a circle about ¼ inch thick and 11 inches in diameter.
- Using a 10-inch round cake pan or bowl as a guide, cut out a 10-inch circle and set aside the excess dough.
- Then, use an 8-inch cake pan or bowl to cut out an 8-inch circle from the center of the larger circle, setting aside the excess dough.
- Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350℉ / 177℃ for 18 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
Gingerbread cookies
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 177℃
- Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Generously flour a work surface. Continue to add more flour if dough starts to stick when rolling out.
- Roll the dough into a sheet until it is slightly less than ¼ inch thick.
- Using your choice of cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes and place them on baking sheets. Continue rolling out the dough and cutting shapes until all the dough is used up.
- Bake cookies that are approximately 2 - 3 inches in size for 8 to 10 minutes. For larger cookies, bake a few minutes longer, and for smaller cookies, bake a few minutes less.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Royal icing
- Place all ingredients (powdered sugar, warm water and meringue powder) in the bowl of a hand or stand mixer. Begin mixing on low speed and gradually increase speed to medium high. Mix for 3 - 4 minutes.
- Cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel to prevent icing from drying out.
- Decorate cookies as desired. Set aside for a few hours or until icing has dried.
Assemble gingerbread wreath
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, decorate them with royal icing in your favorite patterns and designs.
- Attach cookies to the wreath by applying royal icing to the back of each cookie. Set aside wreath for 4–6 hours, or until the icing has fully dried and hardened.
Video
Notes
- If the dough cracks, it may be too cold. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling. You can also knead it lightly to warm it up slightly.
- If dough becomes sticky, place it back in your refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill it slightly.
Nutrition
Calories: 4056kcalCarbohydrates: 1171gProtein: 54gFat: 132gSaturated Fat: 80gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 34gTrans Fat: 5gCholesterol: 511mgSodium: 2490mgPotassium: 4162mgFiber: 15gSugar: 330gVitamin A: 4066IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 779mgIron: 34mg
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