This Christmas gingerbread star cookies recipe is so easy to make and it’s the perfect treat for your holiday cookie platter.
The countdown to Christmas is on! Are you ready for the holidays? Whether or not your family celebrates Christmas, it’s fun to enjoy the holiday season with friends and loved ones. One of my favorite ways to celebrate this time of year is by baking cookies!
I love the smell of gingerbread cookies baking in the oven. The spicy, warm aroma is an integral part of Christmas for me. That’s why I’m so excited to share this recipe with you all! These star shaped Gingerbread Cookies are perfect for any holiday celebration and they’re easy to make too!
Looking for a fun and festive gingerbread cookie recipe to make this Christmas? These gingerbread star cookies are perfect! They’re easy to make and taste delicious. Plus, they’ll add some extra beauty and charm to your Christmas cookies plates.
Give them a try this holiday season!
How to Store Gingerbread Cookies
Hard gingerbread cookies with or without royal icing should be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for three to four weeks.
After the cookies are cool, place them in an airtight container.
You can also freeze gingerbread cookies for up to 6 months. Just make sure they’re properly wrapped so that they don’t get freezer burn.
When you’re ready to eat them, just let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours. Enjoy!
Now that you know how to store gingerbread cookies, you can make them any time of year! They’re perfect for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other special occasion. And don’t forget to share them with your friends and family!
How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
The best part about baking up a batch of these gingerbread cookies is when it comes time to decorate the gingerbread men cookies.
You can get creative with smiles, eyes, buttons, squiggles, and more. For this you will need a classic royal icing recipe, piped on stiff, it will harden and hold it’s shape until eaten.
You can tint the royal icing with a couple drops of food colouring for even more creative fun!
About the Ingredients for Gingerbread Cookies
Molasses – Use only fancy molasses.
Egg – Make sure your egg is room temperature.
Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract is best, but artificial is OK too.
Flour – Spoon and level the flour, never pack it when baking. If your flour is lumpy, sift it in.
Baking soda – Make sure your baking soda is either fresh or at least still active so that the cookies rise.
Salt – Makes all the flavours come together and really shine.
Spices – We use a combination of ginger, cinnamon and cloves. You can swap all-spice for the cloves if that is all you have on hand.
Looking for More Christmas Cookie Recipes?
Snickerdoodles are a classic part of the Christmas cookie plate. There is just nothing better than these cinnamon sugar treats.
My copycat recipe for the famous Lofthouse frosted sugar cookies. These soft and cakey cookies are a must have around Christmas time!
Make these easy and delicious Gingerbread Reindeer Cookies for your holiday dessert tables. Kids will love these adorable Christmas cookies.
How to Make Christmas Gingerbread Star Cookies
Yields: 24 Cookies | Prep Time: 3.5 hours | Cook Time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup Fancy molasses
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
For the Royal Icing:
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Food colouring, if desired
Directions:
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla on high speed for 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices until combined.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients at low speed until well combined. The dough should be thick and slightly sticky.
Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap tightly, shaping it into a flattened disc.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before baking or up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
Flour your work surface, hands and rolling pin.
Roll out one of the discs of dough until about 1/4 inch thick.
Use a star cookie cutter to cut out the shapes from the dough.
Place the shapes on the prepared baking sheet.
Re-roll dough scraps until you have none left.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes, rotating your pan halfway through.
Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.
Transfer to cooling rack to completely cool.
To Make Royal Icing:
In a mixer beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until frothy.
Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until well combined.
Beat on high speed for 5 minutes, it is ready when the icing is stiff and glossy.
If using, add food colouring and beat until evenly distributed.
Transfer to a pastry bag to pipe onto cooled cookies.
Christmas Gingerbread Star Cookies
This Christmas gingerbread star cookies recipe is so easy to make and it’s the perfect treat for your holiday cookie platter.
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup Fancy molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cloves
For the Royal Icing:
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Food colouring, if desired
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla on high speed for 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices until combined.
- Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients at low speed until well combined. The dough should
be thick and slightly sticky. - Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap tightly, shaping it into a flattened disc.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before baking or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Flour your work surface, hands and rolling pin.
- Roll out one of the discs of dough until about 1/4 inch thick.
- Use a star cookie cutter to cut out the shapes from the dough.
- Place the shapes on the prepared baking sheet.
- Re-roll dough scraps until you have none left.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes, rotating your pan halfway through.
- Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.
- Transfer to cooling rack to completely cool.
To Make Royal Icing:
- In a mixer beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until frothy.
- Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until well combined.
- Beat on high speed for 5 minutes, it is ready when the icing is stiff and glossy.
- If using, add food colouring and beat until evenly distributed.
- Transfer to a pastry bag to pipe onto cooled cookies.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 CookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 179Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 115mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 0gSugar: 26gProtein: 1g
Liz Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys cooking and baking, food photography, and reading.