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!

November 22, 2022

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

This dashing gentleman is clad in a pair of marshmallow trousers hemmed in royal icing.

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

To make this layered marshmallow dress (or the previous marshmallow trousers), snip mini marshmallows in half with scissors; toss them in colored sugar (it sticks to the cut side). Attach with royal icing.

Gumdrop Duo

Repurposed gumdrops were the inspiration for these stylishly thrifty threads. 

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

Smash gumdrops together and roll into sheets with a rolling pin, then cut into outfits. Attach with royal icing.

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

Our gingerbread businessman livens up a staid shirt and tie combo with cheerfully striped slacks.

Fruit Leather Duo

Cut fruit leather into pants and dresses, then attach with royal icing. Use thinned icing to make a shirt.

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

This studly fellow's overalls feature festive stripes of green and red.

Sour Belt Duo

This matching gown is an elegantly understated affair. Cut sour belts into strips and squares to make shorts or a layered dress. Attach the pieces with royal icing.

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

This jelly man is in full holiday uniform, decked from head to toe in formal wear, from his cheerful epaulettes to his sweet belt and bean brooch.

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

Draw an outline of a suit or dress with royal icing, then thin the icing to fill it in. Attach jelly beans with more icing.

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

Daring and playful, this cheeky guy explores the boundaries of candy costuming, showing everything and nothing with his dazzling mint showpieces.

Mint Duo

Outline the cookies with royal icing, then attach peppermint candies and M&M's with icing for buttons.

Nonpareils Duo

Perfectly seasonal, this layered outfits exude wintry charm — nonpareils give the illusion of freshly fallen snow while mini chocolate chips give the outfit its structure.

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

Attach small and large nonpareils with royal icing; line the dress or shorts with colored mini chocolate chips.

Fruit Chew Duo

This quirky fellow expresses his individuality with a goofy tie. 

Fruit Chew Duo

This quirky dress is perfectly tailored and elevated to new heights of fashion by its bold prints. Smash same-color fruit chews together, roll into sheets, cut holes and fill with the other color. Cut outfits; attach with royal icing.

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

This fantastic ensemble pushes boundaries — literally and figuratively — in the world of candy fashion.

Stained-Glass Duo

This fashionable gal turns negative space into a work of art with this translucent, sugary dress. Cut shapes out of the people before baking. Bake, then fill the holes with crushed hard candies; bake until melted.

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

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