There are few things in life that bring as much joy as decorating freshly baked gingerbread. (We feel pretty lucky we get to do it everyday!) Whether you’re decorating alone or with friends, making them for yourself or to give as gifts, unleashing your creativity on a blank piece of gingerbread is always a good time. But if you’ve never decorated before, there are a few tips our professional bakers have for you!
Start with the perfect canvas
Decorating gingerbread cookies is a lot like painting, and like painting, your canvas can make all the difference to the end result. In this instance, your canvas is a perfectly cooked gingerbread cookie! There are lots of great recipes out there, but we recommend looking for one that yields nice firm cookies. The firmer the gingerbread man, the better the cookie will hold its shape.
Once your cookies are out of the oven, the next step is to wait. Your cookies need at least 30 minutes to rest before you start any sort of decorating, but we recommend waiting until they’re fully cool. If your gingerbread is too hot, your icing is just going to melt right off––and we don’t want that!
Make sure you have the right tools and materials
The tools you have will make or break your gingerbread cookies, so it’s important to stock up before you start. You’ll need piping bags with various tip sizes––small round tips for detailing and larger tips for covering larger areas––and all the assorted lollies and sprinkles you want to use for decorations. Food colouring is also good to have on hand for colouring your icing. The icing most often used for decorating gingerbread is royal icing, which you can make yourself or buy from the store. Once it’s in a piping bag, practise a few designs on a piece of parchment paper before starting on your cookies.
Get creative!
Now you’ve got your perfectly baked gingerbread cookies and all your tools and decorations handy, it’s time to start decorating! Use your piping bag and start with simple patterns and shapes, adding lollies, sprinkles, edible glitter, or whatever you like on top. If you’re struggling to think of ideas, take a look at some of the iced gingerbread characters we make.
Once you’re happy with your design, let the icing dry at room temperature before moving them. It just helps ensure that the icing doesn’t smudge or move. If you’re storing your cookies, keep them in an airtight container, and place a piece of parchment paper between each cookie so they don’t get stuck.
Now you know what to do, it’s time to get started on decorating your own gingerbread! Don’t forget to tag @hosomegingerbread on Instagram when you share your creations––we’d love to see them! If you don’t have time to bake your own gingerbread, don’t worry. You can purchase Hosome’s deliciously chewy gingerbread right here and get right to decorating.