Gingerbread Ornaments

I wanted to decorate my apartment for the holidays but I don't have much space to keep decorations after the holidays. So I decided to make ornaments out of gingerbread and get a small tree so when the christmas season is over, I can just get rid of everything. Make sure to buy some candies or sprinkles to decorate the ornaments. It was really fun to decorate the ornaments so if you have kids or just like to decorate cookies, this will be right up your ally.

Ingredients:

Gingerbread:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon warm water
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup boiling water

Royal Icing:
4 egg whties
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, molasses, spices, and salt. Whisk in butter.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in warm water and add to mixture. Sift flour over batter and mix well. Slowly add boiling water and mix.

4. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into gingerbread men using cookie cutters. I also used other christmas cookie cutters or feel free to use a knife and carve any shape you want. Make sure to cut a small hole to put string through so you can hang the ornaments. I used the small end of a wooden spoon covered in flour to do this.

5. Place on cookie sheets and bake until cookies are golden brown and edges are crisp and set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool gingerbread and decorate.

Royal Icing:
1. make this while gingerbread are cooking/cooling

2. Put egg whites and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until frothy. Then slowly add sugar while continuing to whisk.

3. Final product should be smooth and slightly shiny. It may be a bit runny which is good for filling in large areas on the cookie. If you want a finer line, add about 1/4 cup more sugar.

4. Pour icing into a plastic ziplock bag. Cut off a small piece on a corner of the bag and use as a pastry bag to decorate. I used sprinkles, candies, and food coloring to add color.