Gingerbread Star Cookies are a festive treat, soft, warmly spiced, and perfectly shaped without spreading. No need for royal icing— a secret ingredient in the glaze keeps it glossy and beautiful. Easy to decorate and elegant on your holiday cookie tray!
Whenever I think of Christmas cookies, gingerbread cookies are the first to come to mind. Their warm spices and rich molasses flavor truly capture the essence of the season. I used the same gingerbread dough to create deliciously unique gingerbread cookie cups.
Molasses is crucial for both the flavor and color of gingerbread cookies, adding depth and sweetness. Dark brown sugar, which contains molasses, also contributes moisture and helps keep the cookies soft. For the best taste, be sure to use unsulfured molasses, as it provides a smoother, less bitter flavor.
Gingerbread cookies come in a variety of shapes, with the most popular being gingerbread men and women, as well as snowflakes. A classic holiday tradition is making gingerbread houses, where cut-out shapes of gingerbread dough are used to form the walls, roof, and other parts of the house, which are then assembled and decorated for the season.
Today, I decided to keep it simple and make gingerbread stars—festive and easy to decorate! No need for intricate piping skills. Just spread icing over the baked stars and top them with fun sprinkles. It's a quick, festive, and impressive treat!
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Why you'll love it?
- Easy, elegant and festive
- Make ahead, freeze the cookies and decorate before the holidays
- No royal icing
- No spread gingerbread dough
How to make gingerbread star cookies?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Step 9 - Shape dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill forat least 4 hours. Roll on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness and cutout stars.
👩🍳 Tip: I used a medium and a small sized star cookie cutters to cutout two different sizes.
Step 10 - Transfer each cutout to a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving an inch between them. Chill and then bake.
👩🍳 Tip: To ensure even baking, place cookies of the same size on the same baking sheet when baking two different sizes.
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How to decorate gingerbread stars?
👩🍳 Pro tip: If the frosting is too thick, add a small amount of milk. If it's too thin, gradually mix in powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
👩🍳 To create twin gingerbread stars, spread icing on both a medium and a small star. Immediately place the small star on top of the medium one, then add sprinkles to the top of the small star.
Tips for perfect gingerbread cookies
- Chill the dough. Gingerbread dough can be sticky, so it's important to chill it for at least 4 hours (or even overnight). It makes it easier to roll out and helps the cookies maintain their shape while baking.
- Roll the dough evenly to help them bake uniformly.
- Don't overwork the dough. Mix the dough just until everything is combined.
- Avoid overbaking gingerbread cookies. They should be firm with a slight softness in the center. Baking them too long will make them hard and crunchy.
More holiday cookie ideas
Gingerbread Star Cookies
Equipment
- Star cookie cutter
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 egg large
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk or as needed
- 1 teaspoon corn syrup light
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make cookie dough
- Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, clove and nutmeg powder into a medium bowl. Wisk to combine.
- Add the butter and dark brown sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric beater for about 3 minutes, until creamy and fluffy.
- Add the molasses, egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed, until a nice dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half and shape into disks. Cover each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or up to 2 days.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of chilled dough to about ¼-inch in thickness.
- Cut out as many stars as you can. (I used a medium and a small sized star cookie cutters). Carefully transfer each cutout to the baking sheet, leaving an inch between them. Reroll the scraps once. Repeat process with remaining cookie dough.Pro tip: To ensure even baking, place cookies of the same size on the same baking sheet when baking two different sizes.
- Transfer the bakings sheets to the fridge and chill for at least one hour. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 minutes (smaller star shapes will need about 9 minutes, while medium-sized stars will take around 10 minutes). Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Icing
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. The icing should be thick yet pipeable.Tip: If the frosting is too thick, add a small amount of milk. If it's too thin, gradually mix in powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
- Transfer the icing to a piping bag or a zip-top bag, then snip a small corner off. For more precise piping, you can attach a Wilton #5 tip.
- Pipe the icing onto the cookies, using a toothpick to smooth out any imperfections or uneven areas. If desired, finish with sprinkles for a festive touch.To create twin stars, spread icing on both a medium and a small star. Immediately place the small star on top of the medium one, then add sprinkles to the top of the small star.
- Allow the icing to fully harden before enjoying, which typically takes several hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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