How to Make Soft Mickey Gingerbread Cookies at Home
Hello, dearest readers! When I think of Disney treats during the holiday season, the first thing that comes to mind is a big, warm Mickey gingerbread cookie from the parks. And in the spirit of the-weekend-before-Christmas, I’m sharing the recipe from Delicious Disney: Disneyland Cookbook so you can also make soft Mickey gingerbread cookies at home.
If I’m being completely honest, even though I’ve been to Disneyland more times than any adult should care to admit, I’ve never actually eaten a real Mickey gingerbread cookie myself, but don’t let that discourage you because these cookies turned out scrumptious and that’s all that really matters, right?
They’re also soft but easy to manage and relatively easy to make. I say “relatively” because while the baking part was a breeze; I need to practice my cookie decorating skills a bit more, but that could be because I used store-bought cookie icing instead of the icing listed in the recipe. Still, I added their icing recipe below if you’d prefer to use it.
Oh, and I got the Mickey-shaped cookie cutter from JB Cookie Cutters. You can also get stainless steal ones here.
As you can see, when I attempted to decorate my Mickeys like the one in the Insta pic above, they started to look more like Bozo without the red hair, and I now see that decorating Mickey gingerbread men is a particularly tricky thing to do. Those cookie decorators at the parks must have years of experience because even as someone who has been freehand drawing my entire life, this was no joke. I thought my morning lagree class would be the most humbling part of my day, but NOPE.
Anywho, drizzling icing in a zigzag motion and topping the little guys off with a touch of crystal sprinkles was the easy way to go for a decent presentation. Once I got the hang of the icing, I ran out of Mickeys altogether, so next year, I’ll attempt to give them actual faces.
Regardless, I loved the final taste and texture of these since I prefer my cookies slightly chewy in the middle, and they pair well with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of Joe; enjoy! 😌
Mickey Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Makes 3 Dozen Cookies
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dark molasses
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 cup water
- Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add molasses and blend well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cardamom; add to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with water, mixing well. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until chilled.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease the baking sheet. Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface so that it’s 1/4 of an inch and cut into desired shapes.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Royal Icing Recipe
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 pasteurized egg whites
- 3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- Food coloring, optional
- Heavy cream to thin icing, if desired
- Add cream of tartar to egg whites and beat at high speed with an electric mixer until the whites hold a soft peak. Reduce speed and gradually add powdered sugar, whipping to a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Separate into small bowls and mix in food coloring, if desired. Thin with heavy cream if the icing gets too thick. Frosting will harden as it dries.
