Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies

Name: Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten free flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 1 tablespoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon cloves; 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (softened to room temperature); 3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed); 2/3 cup unsulphured molasses; 1 egg (room temperature); 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 4 cups confectioners sugar; 3 tablespoons meringue powder; 1/3 cup room temperature water (plus more as needed); 1 teaspoon vanilla

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Gingerbread snowflake cookies are a cozy and fun cookie to make for the holidays. The cookie dough comes together quickly and the baked cookies are dressed up with easy royal icing.

snowflake cookies with royal icing on a baking sheet

Molasses and gingerbread spices are some of my favorite ingredients for baking. I love molasses cookies and ginger cookies so of course I love gingerbread cookies. And I love these gluten-free gingerbread cookies because they're soft AND hold their shape.
To go along with this best in class ginger cook list, I thought this cookie would be the perfect base for snowflake cookies because the contrast from the white snowflake icing is so stark and beautiful.

We had a blast getting creative and decorating our snowflake cookies to each be unique! They're also a great cookie to make with kids. If you prefer sugar cookies, I have a great dairy free sugar cookie recipe you can use as the base. And if you're craving the gingerbread flavor in the morning, then you have to make these gingerbread cinnamon rolls. We love making them with our daughter too!

Ingredient Notes

All purpose flour: use the spoon and level method to make sure you're measuring correctly. We've also tested these with a 1:1 gluten free flour (like Bob's Red Mill) and it works well.
Baking soda: double check the expiration date to make sure it's good for the best results.
Gingerbread spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt
Unsalted butter: grab a high quality butter because it really makes the difference in these cookies.
Light brown sugar: the extra moisture in brown sugar gives these cookies the famous chewy center.
Unsulphured molasses: this is extracted from mature sugar cane, where the cane juice is clarified and concentrated. Sulphured molasses is made with sulfur dioxide to preserve the sugarcane because the sugarcane didn't have as much time to mature.
Egg: do your best to use a room temperature egg because it blends more evenly into the batter.
Vanilla extract: like the flour, a quality vanilla extract goes a long way.
Royal icing ingredients:Confectioners sugar, meringue powder, vanilla and water.

Recommended Equipment

Baking sheets
Parchment paper
Snowflake cookie cutters
Bowls
Piping bags
Wilton No. 2 Tip

ingredients for gingerbread snowflake cookies on a table

How to make snowflake cookies

Make the dough

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
Beat butter and brown sugar together for 2-3 minutes. Do not skip this step. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla and beat again for 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add half of the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix again on low until combined.

wet gingerbread cookie ingredients in a stand mixer — beat the wet ingredients

gingerbread cookie dough in a stand mixer bowl — beat the wet ingredients

Cover and chill

Separate the dough into two equal pieces then dump one half out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Gently press the dough out into a large disk shape and wrap it completely with plastic wrap. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough then place both halves in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

snowflake cookie dough in a ball on a piece of parchment paper — dump the dough onto plastic wrap

two discs of snowflake cookie dough wrapped in plastic wrap — dump the dough onto plastic wrap

Roll, cut and bake

When you’re ready to bake the dough, remove one of the disks from the refrigerator and dump it out onto a well-floured surface. Flour your hands and the rolling pin then roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out the dough into snowflake shapes and place them 1-2 inches apart on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet.
When there isn’t anymore room to cut out cookies from the dough, roll it back up into a ball and repeat the process until all the dough is gone. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.
Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes, until just set and the bottom edges of the cookies turn a light golden brown. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer the cookies to a wire rack.

snowflake cookie cutters on top of dough cutting out cookies — cut out snowflake shapes

snowflake cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet — cut out snowflake shapes

How to make royal icing

Add the powdered sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (hand mixer will work too) and mix on low for 30 seconds to combine.
With the mixer still on low, slowly add the room temperature water then add the vanilla extract. Increase the mixer to medium-high speed and beat until stiff peaks form (4-5 minutes).
Turn the mixer back up to medium speed and add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the icing starts to thin. When you pick up the paddle attachment the icing should drizzle back down into the bowl and leaves lines on the top that just barely melt into the rest of the icing. It should be thick enough to hold it's shape when piping, but thin enough to still fit through a small Wilton No 2 piping tip. I used 4-5 tablespoons of water to reach this consistency.

meringue beaten to stiff peaks in a stand mixer — beat to stiff peaks

royal icing in a stand mixer bowl — beat to stiff peaks

FAQs

Can you make these with sugar cookies?

I love the contrast in dark and light with the gingerbread and royal icing, however, a sugar cookie works great as the base as well. Use this no spread recipe for great sugar cookies every time.

What kind of icing do you use for cookies?

The three most popular icings for cookies are royal icing, decorating icing and frosting. I prefer royal icing on these cookies because of the intricate details you can do. They make the snowflakes look so pretty!

What is the difference between royal icing and decorating icing?

Decorating icing is made with powdered sugar, milk and extracts and is similar to royal icing because it sets well, but it doesn't dry as hard. You can still pipe it into snowflakes, but don't stack them as the decorating icing won't stay.

Expert tips

Don't overwork the dough: Really good gingerbread cookies are crisp on the edges and tender, with soft centers. Be careful not to overwork the dough or it could lose the tender center.
Give yourself time: this recipe is simple in ingredients, but it does take some patience. I recommend giving yourself a few days to completely these by allowing the dough to chill overnight and maybe even icing them another day.

a snowflake cookie decorated with royal icing standing up against a cake stand

Dietary Modifications

Gluten free: use a 1:1 gluten free flour like Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur's.
Diary free: swap the butter for a high quality vegan butter (we like Myokos).

Storage Instructions

How to freeze the dough: shape the dough into disks and double wrap with plastic wrap then store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to sit at room temperature for an hour or so until it's soft enough to roll out.
How to freeze baked cookies: allow the cookies to cool completely then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before icing.
Store in the fridge: Place the cooled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also chill the cookie dough in the fridge for up to 3 days.