Spiced Christmas Cookies: The Easy Recipe to Gift and Enjoy with Company

Behind every recipe, there is always a special story. The origin of these fragrant Christmas treats comes from a rare and precious ingredient: a great friendship.
Every year, my desire was to create Christmas-themed cookies that were both a simple gift idea and a decorative centerpiece for the holiday table. I wanted to pamper the people I love, and the inspiration came during an impromptu lunch with a special friend.

Creative Afternoon: Dough, Laughter, and the Scent of Spices

What was supposed to be a simple meeting turned into an unforgettable afternoon filled with talks, camaraderie, and the common goal of baking the best soft spiced cookies.
Working together was a symphony of senses: enveloping scents of cinnamon, ginger, and Christmas aromas, an elastic dough perfect for cookie cutters, and hands dedicated to cutting out little trees and bears.

How to Decorate Christmas Cookies with Royal Icing
The magic happened during the decoration. We transformed simple shortbread into little masterpieces using royal icing. With a touch of imagination, our teddy bears became cute snowmen, enriched with detailed touches: snowflakes and stars, bow ties and elegant swirls, hearts, and colorful garlands.
Making these homemade cookies is a true play of creativity and imagination, perfect to do even with children or, as in my case, with a special friend like Valeria, to whom I am grateful for turning my kitchen into a magical world for a few hours.

[INSPO: from the blog “Anna on the clouds“ with my personal modifications].

Other Christmas cookies to prepare and gift during the holidays:

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 1 Hour
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 50 Pieces
Cooking methods: Electric oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Christmas

Ingredients

⚠ THIS RECIPE INCLUDES ONE OR MORE AFFILIATION LINKS. The products I recommend are the same I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it costs you nothing extra!

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter (cold)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup orange honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 egg white
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3 drops lemon juice

Tools

2 Mixing bowls
1 Sieve
Electric mixers
2 Plastic wrap
1 Bench scraper
1 Rolling pin
Cookie cutters
2 Baking trays
2 Parchment paper
1 Piping bags

Preparation

Start by preparing the royal icing first so that it’s ready when your cookies are baked. Place the egg white in a mixing bowl with a few drops of lemon, whisk it with an electric mixer at medium speed until it slightly foams. At this point, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar (fig. 1)
Continue working the mixture until you get a firm and compact consistency. When the icing clings to the beaters, it is ready (fig. 2).
Store your royal icing in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until ready to use. In the meantime, start preparing the cookie dough by working the flour with the cold butter cut into cubes in another bowl. Mix well until you get a sandy mixture, then form a well and place in the center the egg, the sugar, the cinnamon, the ground ginger, the nutmeg, the baking soda, the honey, and finally a pinch of salt (fig. 3).
Begin kneading vigorously by hand until you obtain a smooth and compact dough (fig. 4).
Place the dough in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for about 1 hour. After this time, divide the dough into two parts and start rolling out the first half with a rolling pin on a floured work surface, keeping the rest in the fridge. Roll out a sheet of about 1/5 inch thick and slowly cut it with your cookie cutters until the dough is used up (fig. 5).
Place the cookies thus made well spaced apart on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a static oven preheated to 350°F for 10-12 minutes at most, but make sure they do not get too dark. Once ready, take them out (fig. 6).
Let them cool completely at room temperature, then transfer the previously prepared icing into a disposable piping bag, cut the tip thinly, and decorate them traditionally or as your imagination suggests (fig. 7).
Continue rolling out the rest of the dough and proceed in the same way. Allow the royal icing to dry well.
You can color your royal icing with food coloring for a more scenic effect.
Just dose three colors, yellow, blue, and magenta to get the shades you want. Of course, this is optional.
And voilà, the ginger and cinnamon cookies are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!