Making gingerbread cookies is a ritual that for me signals the official start of the holiday season. I love every step of the process: the forming of the dough, the cookie-cutting, the baking and decorating, the biting off of the little heads. This is one of my favorite holiday doughs – it’s unmistakably gingerbread, but with a touch of chocolate flavor from the addition of cocoa powder. Because the dough has a lot of butter in it, it is somewhat delicate, so cutting out the cookies and transferring them to the baking sheet should be done while the dough is cold and with a degree of care. But the extra effort it’s worth it, because the resulting cookies are tender, delicious and full of holiday cheer.

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Makes about 64 cookies

Special Equipment: 3-inch cookie gingerbread men/women cutters; parchment paper cones

Ingredients

Chocolate gingerbread dough:

2 3/4 cups (357 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (56 grams) unsweetened non-alkalized cocoa powder, sifted
1 tablespoon (15 grams) ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (162 grams) firmly packed Muscovado or dark brown sugar
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1 large (50 grams) egg
2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1 tablespoon (20 grams) unsulphured (mild) molasses

Royal Icing:

3 tablespoons (45 grams) meringue powder
6 tablespoons (88 grams) warm water
1 pound (454 grams) confectioners’ sugar

Optional Decoration:

Paste food coloring in assorted colors
Assorted dragees
Colored fondant

Instructions

Make the cookies:

In a medium bowl, gently whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt until well-blended.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until light in texture and color, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.

In a small bowl, stir together the hot water, baking soda, and molasses, stirring until the baking soda is dissolved. Gradually add the baking soda mixture at low speed; increase the speed to medium and mix until blended. Add the dry ingredients in several additions at low speed, mixing just until combined. Scrape the dough onto a work surface and shape it into 4 discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days).

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll one of the discs of dough out to a thickness of 1/8 inch, lightly flouring the dough and work surface as needed. Using a 3-inch gingerbread man- or woman-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible from the dough. Using a small offset spatula that is lightly floured, carefully transfer the cookies onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps of dough together into a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 30 minutes. Re-roll the scraps one time only to make more cookies.

Bake the cookies until the tops are set, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet set on a wire rack for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the cutting and baking procedure with the remaining dough.

Make the Royal Icing:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the meringue powder, water, and confectioners’ sugar at medium-low speed until the icing forms stiff peaks, about 7 minutes. Thin the icing to the consistency you want by adding warm water, a few drops at a time.

Decorate the cookies:

Divide the icing among as many small bowls as you need for different colors. Cover the surface of each icing with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Add paste color to each bowl, as desired, on the tip of a toothpick. Add warm water, a few drops at a time, to each icing until it is thin enough to pipe a straight line smoothly and does not form peaks when a spoon is dipped into it. Transfer each color icing to a parchment paper cone and garnish cookies as desired, using the icing, fondant and dragees. Let the icing dry completely, about 4 hours.