- Prep time 1 hour
- Total time 4 hours
- Portion size 12 servings
Ingredients
Method
In bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, carda- mom and salt; set aside.
In large bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs and molasses. Stir in flour mixture.
Divide dough in half; shape into discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Make-ahead: Can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours.)
Between sheets of parchment or waxed paper, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Invert round 12-inch pan or bowl on dough and cut around it to form circle of dough. Invert round 7-inch pan or bowl on dough circle and cut around it to form wreath shape (reserve scraps for cookies). Transfer wreath to parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Between sheets of parchment or waxed paper, roll out remaining disc and scraps from wreath to 1/4-inch thickness. Using star or snowflake cookie cutters in assorted sizes, cut out shapes, rerolling and cutting scraps as necessary. Arrange shapes 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake wreath and cookies until edges are lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes for wreath and about 8 minutes for cookies. Cool on baking sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer wreath and cookies directly to rack; let cool completely.
Spoon Royal Icing into piping bag fitted with small round tip. Decorate cookies as desired. Let stand until set, about 30 minutes. Using icing, attach cookies to cover entire wreath. Let stand for 1 hour. Thread piece of ribbon around top of wreath to hang.
Royal Icing
In large bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat 1 1/2 tbsp meringue powder with 2 1/2 tbsp water until foamy, about 2 minutes; beat in 1 3/4 cups icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until stiff and glossy, about 4 minutes. Cover icing with clean damp cloth to prevent drying out. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Nutritional facts Per serving: about
- Calories 615
- Total fat 12 g
- Saturated fat 7 g
- Cholesterol 60 mg
- Sodium 145 mg
- Total carbohydrate 119 g
- Fibre 2 g
- Sugars 19 g
- Iron 4 mg
