Introduction

These Mickey Gingerbread cookies are a festive twist on a classic treat, perfect for the holidays or any fun occasion. Spiced with warm ginger and cinnamon, they are decorated with white and dark chocolate to bring Mickey Mouse to life. Baking these cookies is a delightful project for home cooks of all skill levels.

The image shows several gingerbread cookies shaped like reindeer faces with three main layers of decoration. The cookies are a light brown color with smooth texture. The first layer is white icing outlining the edge of the faces and inside the large ears with zigzag lines. The second layer is dark brown chocolate used for small oval eyes, a simple nose in the center, and a wide smiling mouth across the lower face. The third layer features two small bright red round candy pieces placed like cheeks on each side of the smile. The cookies are placed both inside and around a white round tin decorated with green pine branches and red berries, tied with a red and white string. In the background, there is a white mug with Christmas wreath designs and the words “comfort and joy” partially visible. The scene is set on a white marbled surface with some white snowflake-shaped decor and red baubles scattered around. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
3/4 cup white chocolate melting wafers
1/2 cup dark chocolate melting wafers
18 red hots candies

Instructions

Step 1: In a bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
Step 2: Beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar together until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and molasses, mixing until combined.
Step 3: Scrape down the bowl and gradually mix in the dry ingredients until a sticky dough forms.
Step 4: Divide the dough into two balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Step 6: Remove one ball of dough from the fridge. Place it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Remove the top parchment sheet and cut out Mickey shapes. Do not move the cut shapes.
Step 7: Place the parchment with the cut dough back into the fridge for 10 minutes. Repeat this rolling and cutting process with the second dough ball.
Step 8: Take one chilled parchment sheet out of the fridge. Gently pull away the excess dough around the shapes and return it to the fridge. Use a flat spatula lightly dusted with flour to carefully transfer the cut shapes to a baking sheet. Bake immediately for 12-14 minutes.
Step 9: Let the cookies cool on the hot pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 10: Repeat the baking process with the second sheet of cut dough shapes. Refrigerate any excess dough scraps, then press them together and roll out again to cut more cookies.
Step 11: Once the cookies are fully cooled, melt the white chocolate wafers according to package instructions. Spoon the melted chocolate into a ziplock bag, cut a small corner off, and pipe a line around the edges of each cookie. Then fill in the ears with white chocolate.
Step 12: Melt the dark chocolate wafers. Place the melted chocolate in a bag and cut the corner off to draw eyes, nose, and a smile on each cookie. Add red hots candies for cheeks. Allow the chocolate to set completely before storing.

Tips & Variations

For extra spice, add a pinch of freshly grated ginger or a dash of cardamom to the dry ingredients.
If you don’t have red hots, small red candies or sprinkles can be a good substitute for cheeks.
Use gel food coloring to color some of the white chocolate for different decorative effects.
Make these cookies ahead and freeze them unbaked or fully decorated for convenient holiday treats.

Storage

Store baked and decorated gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. To keep them crisp longer, place a piece of bread in the container, which helps maintain moisture balance. If storing for longer, freeze the cookies in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. Reheating is not necessary and may soften the decorations.

How to Serve

The image shows gingerbread cookies shaped like reindeer heads on a white marbled surface. Each cookie has a smooth brown base with white icing outlining the head and antlers, creating a clear border. The antlers have small zigzag lines in white icing, and the eyes and nose are made with small dark chocolate pieces. A curved smile is drawn with dark brown icing, ending with bright red round candies on each cheek. Some cookies rest on a white plate with a gold rim on the left side of the image. Around the cookies, there are white snowflake ornaments, green pine leaves, and shiny red Christmas ball decorations, adding a festive look. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I use blackstrap molasses instead of dark molasses?

Blackstrap molasses has a much stronger, more bitter flavor that can overpower the cookies. It’s best to use dark molasses for balanced flavor and sweetness.

How do I prevent my cookies from spreading too much while baking?

Chilling the dough well before rolling and cutting helps prevent spreading. Also, refrigerating the cut shapes again before baking helps them hold their shape better in the oven.

Mickey Gingerbread Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.7 from 107 reviews

This Mickey Gingerbread recipe combines festive spices with rich molasses for classic holiday flavor, shaped into charming Mickey Mouse cookies. Decorated with white and dark chocolate melts, and red hots for cheeks, these gingerbread treats are perfect for holiday celebrations and add a magical touch to your cookie platter.

Author: Daniel
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12-14 minutes per batch
Total Time: 3 hours including chilling
Yield: Approximately 40 Mickey-shaped gingerbread cookies 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)

Decoration

3/4 cup white chocolate melting wafers
1/2 cup dark chocolate melting wafers
18 red hots candies

Instructions

Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients including flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and baking powder. Set this mixture aside.
Cream Butter and Sugar: Beat the softened unsalted butter and dark brown sugar together until the mixture is light and creamy, approximately one minute. Then add the egg and molasses, mixing again to combine well.
Add Dry Ingredients: Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and slowly incorporate the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients until a sticky dough forms.
Chill Dough: Divide the dough into two equal portions, form each into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up.
Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking.
Roll and Cut Shapes: Unwrap one ball of dough and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Remove the top parchment sheet and use your Mickey-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes without moving the dough. Place the whole bottom parchment with dough shapes back in the fridge for 10 minutes. Repeat this process with the second ball of dough.
Prepare Cookies for Baking: Remove one chilled pan from the fridge, carefully lift and pull away excess dough surrounding the cut shapes, and return scraps to the fridge. Using a flat spatula dusted with flour, gently transfer the cut cookies to a baking sheet. Bake immediately.
Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies at 350°F for 12-14 minutes. After baking, let the cookies cool on the hot pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Reuse Dough Scraps: Repeat the baking process with the second batch of cookies. Combine the chilled dough scraps, press them together, and re-roll between parchment paper. For a large cookie cutter, expect to get about 9 more cookies from scraps.
Melt White Chocolate and Decorate: Once the cookies are fully cooled, melt the white chocolate melting wafers according to package directions. Spoon melted chocolate into a ziplock bag, cut a small corner off, and pipe a line around the edges of each cookie. Then fill in the ears with the white chocolate.
Melt Dark Chocolate and Finish Decoration: Melt the dark chocolate melting wafers, place the melted chocolate in a bag, cut a corner off, and pipe eyes, nose, and a smile onto each cookie. Place two red hots candies on the cheeks. Allow the chocolate decorations to set before storing.
Storage: Once set, store the decorated gingerbread cookies in a loosely sealed container to maintain freshness.

Notes

Use parchment paper when rolling and cutting dough to prevent sticking and to ease handling.
Ensure dough is well chilled to maintain cookie shape during baking.
Re-roll scraps carefully to minimize dough becoming too tough.
For more vibrant chocolate decoration, use melting wafers rather than regular chocolate chips.
Store cookies in a loose container to keep decorations from melting or sticking.

Keywords: Mickey Gingerbread, holiday cookies, gingerbread recipe, Christmas cookies, chocolate decorated cookies, molasses cookies