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1
Make the Gingerbread: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.
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2
Add the sugar and mix.
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3
Add the eggs and mix.
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4
Add the molasses and vanilla and mix.
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5
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together.
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6
Working in batches and mixing after each addition until just combined, add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture.
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7
Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
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8
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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9
Grease 1 or 2 cookie sheets.
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10
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick and cut out with desired cookie cutters.
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11
To make the Royal Icing: In a mixer, blend the confectioners' sugar, milk, and egg white together.
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12
Add more sugar to get a pipe-able consistency.
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13
To make Gingerbread Men and Women: Use gingerbread man and woman cookie cutters and cut out the cookies, re-rolling the scraps as needed.
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14
Decorate them with raisins and white chocolate chips for eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons down the front.
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15
Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool on the pan.
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16
Meanwhile, add some festive colors to your icing with food coloring and lay out colored sugars in small glass bowls with spoons.
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17
Using a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe a few colorful borders or white borders and coat with sanding sugar.
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18
When set, add more lines of icing in white.
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19
To make snowflakes: Use a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, re-rolling the scraps as needed.
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20
If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make holes in the cookies about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the holes will shrink as the cookies bake and puff up a bit.
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21
Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool on the pan.
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22
Using only white icing and a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe thin lines from the center of the cookie out to the points, like spokes of a wheel.
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23
Connect the spokes with thin lines between them, making a spiderweb effect to give it the look of a snowflake.
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24
Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
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25
To make ornaments: Use any holiday-themed cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, re-rolling the scraps as needed.
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26
If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make holes in the cookies about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the holes will shrink as the cookies bake and puff up a bit.
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27
Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool on the pan.
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28
Meanwhile, color some of your icing in festive colors with food coloring, or use colored sugars.
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29
Using a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe a few colorful borders and decorations on the cookies.
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30
When set, add more lines of icing in white.
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31
Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
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32
To make dreidel trios: Use a dreidel cookie cutter and cut out 3 cookies.
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33
Lay 1 on a greased sheet pan.
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34
Fanning out at an angle, with the handles overlapping at the top, lay 2 more dreidels next to the first one (it will look like a paper-doll effect).
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35
The handle is now 3 layers thick; press on it gently to thin it slightly and make it larger.
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36
Repeat with the remaining dough, re-rolling the scraps as needed.
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37
If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make a hole in the cookies about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the hole will shrink as the cookies bake and puff up a bit.
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38
Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool on the pan.
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39
Color some of your icing blue with food coloring, or use blue colored sugar and white icing together.
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40
Using a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip, pipe Hebrew letters or stars of David on the cookies' faces.
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41
Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
