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 05, 2021

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From: Food Network Magazine

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Photo By: Steve Giralt

Perfect Gingerbread Men

Start with a batch of perfect gingerbread and plenty of royal icing. From there, you can cut out your people and dress them as you please.

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.

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.

Gumdrop Duo

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

On Tonight

Easy Gingerbread Cookie Decorating Ideas

Related To:

Perfect Gingerbread Men

Mini Marshmallow Duo

Mini Marshmallow Duo

Gumdrop Duo

Gumdrop Duo

Fruit Leather Duo

Fruit Leather Duo

Sour Belt Duo

Sour Belt Duo

Jelly Bean Duo

Jelly Bean Duo

Mint Duo

Mint Duo

Nonpareils Duo

Nonpareils Duo

Fruit Chew Duo

Fruit Chew Duo

Stained-Glass Duo

Stained-Glass Duo

Charming Spiced Graham People

Bedazzled Gingerbread Trees

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