Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes until creamy and smooth.

Step 2

Add the molasses (it helps to spray your measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring the molasses - it will pour out more easily afterwards) and egg and mix again to combine, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Step 3

Add flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Mix until completely combined.

Step 4

Transfer the gingerbread cookie dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Wrap it up tightly in the plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 6

Roll out the gingerbread cookie dough on a floured surface to about 1/4" thickness. I always find I need to be generous with the flour so the cookies don't stick to the counter or the rolling pin. Don't worry about the cookies looking dusted with flour. It will be absorbed into the dough as the cookies get rolled out. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.

Step 7

Carefully transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each cookie. They don't spread much, but they will puff slightly and you don't want them touching while they bake.

Step 8

Bake for 9-11 minutes until they just start to look set, but do not overbake or they won't stay soft. Let cool for 5-10 minutes on the pan before transferring the cookies to wire cooling racks to cool completely. Frost or decorate when cool with royal icing.

Step 9

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, corn syrup and 2 tablespoons of the water until smooth. The icing should be thick but you should still be able to drizzle it into the bowl and it should melt in on itself within 1-3 seconds. If it is TOO thick, whisk in another 1/2 tablespoon of water at a time to get the desired consistency. If you go too far and the icing is too runny, whisk in two additional tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time.

Step 10

If desired, you can separate your icing to different small bowls at this point and add food coloring, then transfer to piping bags with small decorating tips.

Step 11

Pipe eyes, a mouth, buttons, or other decorations on the cooled gingerbread cookies, then let them sit out for 3-4 hours for the icing to harden before storing in an airtight container for up to 7 days.