Four iced ginger cookies, each with three red cinnamon candies and two green icing holly leaves, on a white plate.

Holly Ginger Drop Cookies

Holly ginger drop cookies pair molasses-spice cookies with powdered sugar icing, red cinnamon candies, and green frosting leaves.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 1

Cooling and Icing-Set Time 30

Total Time 3

Servings cookies

Calories 94

Equipment

1 set Measuring Cups and Spoons for measuring the dough and icing ingredients
1 Large Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl for the creamed base and finished cookie dough
1 Electric Hand Mixer for creaming the dough base and mixing the icing
1 Silicone Spatula for scraping and finishing the dough
1 Medium Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl for the dry mixture and, after cleaning, the plain icing
1 Whisk for evenly dispersing the flour, leavening, and spices
1 Baking Sheet for four sequential ungreased loads of 24 cookies
1 Oven for baking at 375°F
1 Kitchen Timer for the 12-to-15-minute load range and icing-set interval
1 pair Oven Mitts for handling the hot baking sheet
1 Cookie Spatula for lifting the cookies after their brief pan rest
1 Wire Cooling Rack for cooling the baked cookies completely before icing
1 Small Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl for reserving and tinting the green leaf icing
1 Offset Spatula for spreading plain icing over the cooled cookies
1 Piping Bag with Leaf Tip for piping the green holly leaves

Ingredients

Molasses Ginger Cookie Dough

1 ½ cups butter softened; for the dough
2 cups white granulated sugar
½ cup dark molasses
2 large whole eggs
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
4 teaspoons ground ginger

Powdered Sugar Icing and Holly Decorations

1 pound powdered sugar about one package; plus more only if the icing is too runny
2 tablespoons butter softened; for the icing
2 tablespoons whole milk for the icing
1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the icing
288 red cinnamon candies 3 per cookie
green food coloring as needed, for tinting a reserved portion of icing

Instructions

Mix the Molasses Ginger Dough

Beat the softened butter, white granulated sugar, dark molasses, and large whole eggs in a large stainless steel mixing bowl until evenly blended. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so no heavy streaks remain.
1 1/2 cups butter, 2 cups white granulated sugar, 1/2 cup dark molasses, 2 large whole eggs
Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger in a medium stainless steel mixing bowl until the leavening and spices are evenly dispersed.
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 4 teaspoons ground ginger
Add the prepared dry mixture to the creamed base all at once. Mix only until no floury streaks remain, then scrape under the dough once more to make sure it is uniform.

Portion, Bake, and Cool

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Use a measuring teaspoon to drop 24 heaping-teaspoon portions onto one ungreased baking sheet, leaving room between them for spreading. Keep the remaining dough in the mixing bowl for three more loads.
Bake each 24-cookie load at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Start checking at 12 minutes and remove the sheet within the range when the cookies are baked through. Let each load cool slightly on the sheet before transferring the cookies to a wire cooling rack. Repeat until all four loads are baked, then cool the cookies completely before icing.

Ice and Decorate the Cookies

Beat the powdered sugar, softened icing butter, whole milk, and vanilla extract until the icing is smooth and spreadable but still holds on a cookie. If it is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar until it returns to frosting consistency.
1 pound powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Reserve part of the plain icing in a small stainless steel mixing bowl. Add green food coloring as needed and mix until the color is even, keeping the reserved icing thick enough to pipe leaf shapes.
green food coloring
Spread plain icing over every cooled cookie. Place exactly three red cinnamon candies in the center of each frosted top, then pipe small green holly leaves beside each candy cluster.
288 red cinnamon candies
Leave the decorated cookies in a single layer for about 15 minutes, until the icing is set enough to serve without smearing.

Notes

Leave room for the heaping-teaspoon drops to spread, and bake each load for 12 to 15 minutes at 375°F. Cool the cookies completely before frosting. If the icing is too runny, add only enough extra powdered sugar to restore a spreadable consistency. Finish each cookie with three red cinnamon candies and green icing leaves, then let the decorated tops set before serving.

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