Gingerbread Gift Tag Cookies

These gingerbread cookies are shaped into gift tags to adorn your most special holiday gifts this year.  Make your gift twice as sweet with these easy to make cookies.  Using royal icing and edible markers, you can personalize the cookies and decorate them as you like!  Here's the recipe:

for the gingerbread cookies:
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/4 cup dark molasses
2 eggs
6 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground nutmeg

for the royal icing:
4 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 cup water
Few drops vanilla extract

directions:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter, shortening, and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the molasses and eggs and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour until just combined. Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate dough for at least one hour.

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface roll out half the dough to a ½ to ¼ inch thick and use your pre-cut gift tag stencil (I made mine using the cardboard of an empty butter box) and a sharp paring knife to cut out the shapes. Use a straw to punch out a hole in each tag. Transfer cookies to Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheets about an inch apart, and bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

- For the royal icing, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, water, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix ingredients with mixer on medium-low for 1 minute, then increase speed to medium high and beat for 2-3 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water and if icing gets too runny, add more powdered sugar. You want a dollop of icing to “melt” back into the rest of the icing in about 20 seconds. Transfer the royal icing to a piping bag fit with a small round tip or a plastic squeeze bottle and cover all of the cookies. I chose to just use 20-second icing for everything, but you could also do stiffer icing as a border and fill in the rest with flooding icing. Allow the royal icing to set for at least 24 hours. When ready, decorate with edible ink markers and adorn your gifts as desired!

To see the full post associated with this recipe, and many more, please visit: http://www.ericasweettooth.com/2012/12/gingerbread-gift-tag-cookies.html