These easy gingerbread reindeer cookies are so much fun to make with your kids. Take a gingerbread man cookie, turn it upside down and decorate! Can be used with storebought cookies or fresh baked.
12Gingerbread Shaped Cookiesbaked and cooled 1/4 cup brown royal icing
1/2cupwhite royal icing
1/4cupblack royal icing
1/4cupred royal icing 3 tbsp pink royal icing
Instructions
This recipe uses pre done cookies (whether you bake them yourself or buy store bought).
1. Turn the gingerbread cookie upside down and pipe the white icing into a circle. Make sure the icing is fluffy and thick at this point. Set aside to dry for 15 - 20 minutes. Then come back and pipe the second one to make a pair of eyes. Doing it one at a time defines that it's two separate eyes, but you can do both at once if you're pressed for time.
2. Pipe a large red nose, where the head of the gingerbread man would be. Add a dot of white for a "shine spot" on his bright and shiny nose.
3. Next draw the ears by piping brown down the center line of the legs. Fill (or "flood") one side with brown, wait 15 minutes, then flood the other side with pink.
4. Draw on antlers, and add two black dots to the eyes.
5. Lay the cookies on a sheet pan out of reach to let them set for 8 hours (more if you're in a humid climate, see notes). You can also have a fan on low go to help them set quicker.
Notes
Royal Icing Transfers
If you are making a large batch of cookies, try to make some royal icing transfersTo do this simply pipe large dots of the white icing on parchment paper and then pipe small dots of black on the wet icing. Let them dry for 24 hours on the paper.This will make the eyes and will save you a little more time the day of.
Storing Cookies with Royal Icing
If you're going to bag them and freeze them, make sure the cookies are fully dry. This will take about 8-10 hours.If you living in a humid climate (or it's wet outside), let them dry longer (about 12 hours).