30 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Decorating Ideas
These fun and colorful cookie designs are a breeze to accomplish — and sure to make you the talk of this year's cookie swap!
Related To:
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Yunhee Kim
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Yunhee Kim
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Yunhee Kim
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Yunhee Kim
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Yunhee Kim
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Yunhee Kim
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Yunhee Kim
Photo By: Steve Giralt
Photo By: Yunhee Kim
Photo By: Johnny Miller
Oh, Snap!
Spicy, bold, sweet, peppery: those are just some of the words we’d use to describe the one-of-a-kind taste of gingerbread. The cozy flavor can be transformed into just about anything, from baked goods and snacks to cocktails and milkshakes. And who could beat traditional gingerbread cookies?! The crispy, crunchy treats are a fan-favorite, and no Christmas cookie table is complete without a plate full of them. One of our favorite aspects about making gingerbread cookies from scratch is being able to decorate them after they cool. Sprinkles, icing, gum drops, mints, chocolates — you can use all these edible items and more to give your cookies their own unique personalities. Whether you make gingerbread cookies every December, or you're trying them for the very first time this year, you can't go wrong with these 29 foolproof, festive and fun gingerbread cookie decorating ideas, courtesy of Food Network Magazine. To start, make a batch of our perfect gingerbreads and plenty of royal icing. From there, you can cut out your cookies in whatever shape you like and design them as you please, using the instructions on the slides that follow as a guide. Happy Baking!
Get the Recipe: The Best Gingerbread Cookies
Mini Marshmallow Duo
Sour Suite
Roof: Attach green sour belts and pipe some snow. Use a black mini Chuckle for the chimney.
Lights: Pipe a light strand and attach candy-coated sunflower seeds.
Door: Attach trimmed red Fruit by the Foot and a green jumbo nonpareil doorknob. Pipe the door trim and snowbank, then sprinkle with white nonpareils.
Mini Marshmallow Duo
Gumdrop Duo
Bedazzled Gingerbread Trees
Men and women aren't the only thing you can make out of your gingerbread dough — just look at these merry and bright Christmas trees! To decorate them, pipe a zigzag-styled "garland" across each one using homemade icing, then cover with some white sanding sugar. Rainbow-colored chocolate-covered sunflower seeds finish the trees off to give you the perfect colorful and joyful backdrop for the rest of your holiday cookies and desserts.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Trees
Gumdrop Duo
Cereal Chalet
Roof: Attach Froot Loops; pipe the trim. Use trimmed pretzel sticks for the chimney.
Wreath: Attach a green gummy Life Saver and trimmed red pull-and-peel licorice for the bow.
Door: Attach a trimmed green sour belt and a red jumbo nonpareil. Pipe the frame.
Trees: Pipe the trees, then top with red star sprinkles.
Fruit Leather Duo
Fruit Leather Duo
Marshmallow Manor
Roof: Attach mini marshmallows snipped on the diagonal and silver sugar pearls, then add a red Sixlet for the peak. Attach silver nonpareils for the chimney.
Window: Attach a white Necco wafer and pipe the frame; add small silver and white sugar pearls.
Door: Pipe the trellis and door, then attach a large heart sprinkle and more silver sugar pearls.
Sour Belt Duo
Sour Belt Duo
Frosted Fort
Roof: Attach Frosted Mini Wheats and pull-and-peel licorice. Use Mike and Ikes for the chimney.
Window: Attach a trimmed green sour belt and pipe the frame.
Door: Attach an upside-down trimmed Kit Kat; add a red jumbo nonpareil for the doorknob. Pipe the trim.
Tree: Attach a spearmint leaf; add red jumbo nonpareils.
Jelly Bean Duo
Charming Spiced Graham People
If classic gingerbread cookies aren't your thing, try your hand at this equally spicy cookie recipe instead. Modeled after store-bought graham crackers, the cookie dough utilizes a handful of basic ingredients like ginger, cinnamon, allspice and butter, plus unique add-ins like graham flour and honey. To decorate your graham people, simply tint royal icing with the food color of your choice and get piping! We recommend adding adorable little scarves (like the one pictured above), hats and mittens, but the choice is completely up to you!
Get the Recipe: Spiced Graham People
Jelly Bean Duo
Candy Cottage
Roof: Attach red banana candy. Pipe the roof trim, then attach a red Sixlet for the peak and a trimmed Kit Kat for the chimney.
Window: Attach a mini Charleston Chew and 4 mini yellow Starbursts. Pipe the frame; add sprinkles for snow.
Shrubs: Pipe shrubs and cover with green nonpareils and snowflake sprinkles.
Mint Duo
Mint Duo
Nonpareils Duo
Pretzel Paradise
Roof: Attach mini pretzel twists, then attach trimmed pretzel sticks for the chimney and pipe some snow.
Door: Attach a full pretzel stick for the landing and trimmed pretzel sticks for the door, then pipe the garland, doorknob and trim.
Tree: Pipe dots of icing, then attach one trimmed pretzel stick for the tree trunk.
Nonpareils Duo
Fruit Chew Duo
Fruit Chew Duo
Peppermint Palace
To create the next 8 sweets, start by making a batch of our Gingerbread House Cookies.
Roof: Attach peppermint candies and Skittles. Pipe icicles and the chimney.
Door: Attach green Chiclets, a red jumbo nonpareil for the doorknob and a small piece of candy cane for the landing.
Snowman: Attach mini marshmallows; add an orange sprinkle nose. Draw eyes and buttons with an edible marker.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread House Cookies
Stained-Glass Duo
Stained-Glass Duo
Chocolate Chateau
Roof: Attach red mini Chuckles and a mini marshmallow at the peak. Use a chocolate bar piece for the chimney.
Gable: Attach trimmed pretzel sticks and pipe icicles.
Stone Wall: Pipe a snowbank, then attach Raisinets.
Gingerbread Cutouts
Meringue powder, confectioners' sugar, water and nonpareils are all you need to decorate these ultra-modern and minimalist gingerbread trees. We choose to use white sprinkles here, but bright green or red would also add a really lovely touch.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Cutouts
