Gingerbread Acorn and Autumn Leaf Cookies

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By Jeanne Benedict
Celebrations Expert

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Gingerbread Acorn and Autumn Leaf Cookies

I started my cooking and lifestyles career by building gingerbread houses and creating the how-to baking video, "Gingerbread House Party with Jeanne Benedict." The recipe for these simple cut-out cookies are a nostalgic throwback to my gingerbread days!

Ingredients

1 Cup unsalted butter
3/4 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup molasses
1 egg
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon ground cloves
1 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Teaspoon baking powder
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Royal Icing
2 tablespoons meringue powder
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons water

Steps

Add butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in egg and molasses.
Sift together dry ingredients and beat into mixture until thoroughly combined and dough is stiff. You may not need to use all the flour. Cover dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Lightly spray a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray. Roll out dough on a heavily floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out acorn and leaf shapes or autumn shapes with cookie cutters. Place 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done. Remove cookies from oven and cool thoroughly.
To make Royal Icing: Beat ingredients in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Transfer icing into a pastry bag with a writing tip or a plastic sandwich bag with the tip cut off one corner. Pipe icing around the outlines of the cookies and create design details, such as the leaf veins, on the cookies. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies depending on the size of the cutters