Name: Wreath Ginger Cookies
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT3H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT5H40M0.000S
Yield: about 24 cookies
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note); 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon fine salt; 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling; 1/3 cup molasses; 1 large egg, at room temperature; 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted; 3 tablespoons meringue powder; 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste; 1/4 teaspoon fine salt; Olive green gel food coloring; Forest green gel food coloring; Red gel food coloring

Directions

Special equipment:

4 disposable piping bags

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
For the ginger cookies: Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Gradually add the molasses and egg, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate. Continue beating until the mixture has lightened in color. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.
Scoop up dough with a medium (3/4-ounce) cookie scoop or use a tablespoon to scoop up heaping tablespoonfuls. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place more granulated sugar on a plate and roll each ball generously in the sugar before placing them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are puffed, crackly and lightly golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes; the centers will still look slightly soft. (Baking one sheet at a time helps give the cookies their beautiful crackled tops.) Continue baking the second and third pans.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the royal icing: Combine the confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add 7 tablespoons room-temperature water, the vanilla paste and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until thick and glossy, 4 to 5 minutes. If needed, add extra water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing reaches a smooth consistency where if drizzled back into the bowl the drizzle disappears into the icing within 10 to 15 seconds.
Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the icing to leave white. Divide the remaining icing between 3 small bowls with about 3 to 4 tablespoons in each bowl. Tint one bowl olive green, one forest green and one red with the gel food colorings. Transfer the white icing and each dyed icing into separate disposable piping bags. Snip a very small opening about 2 millimeters (a little more than 1/16 inch) into the tip of each.
To decorate, working with one cooled cookie at a time, pipe a white circle over a cookie leaving about 1 centimeter (1/3 inch) border around the outside of the cookie. Flood the center of the cookie with more white icing. Use a toothpick to spread the icing into any gaps, then gently tap and rotate the cookie until smooth. While the white icing is still very wet, pipe alternating small lines, each about the length of a grain of rice, of olive green and forest green icing in a circle to create the wreath. Use a toothpick or wooden skewer to gently drag through the center of the green lines in one continuous circular motion to create the blended wreath effect.
Finish by piping small clusters of red dots onto the wreath in about 5 places to resemble holly berries. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Don't worry if your wreaths aren't all identical. The swirled effect makes every cookie unique and gives them a lovely handmade look.
Allow the royal icing to dry completely, at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, before serving or storing. When dry, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.) All of the icings should be the same flooding consistency so the colors meld together beautifully when piped onto the white icing. Adjust with very small amounts of water if any seem too stiff.