Pioneer Day is in just few days. We are getting ready by making these yummy fun Bee themed gingerbread cookies.

Bee & Beehive Gingerbread Cookies

Cream together in bowl until light and fluffy:

*1/3 cup Brown Sugar
*1\3 cup Butter, Margarine or Shortening

Beat into above Mixture the Molasses and egg until combine:

*2\3 cup Molasses
*1 unbeaten Egg

Whisk together the dry ingredients and add to the above mixture:

*3 cups Flour, save 1/2 cup to add slowly as needed
*1 tablespoon Baking Powder
*1 1\2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
*1/2 teaspoon Salt

Add a few tablespoons of water if need to form into 4 individual balls wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours. When ready to roll out dough, removing one ball of Gingerbread dough from the refrigerator at a time and roll out into the thickness desired (I like cut about 1/4 inch plus) and cut into Gingerbread shapes, stars, etc… (If you want to use cookies for ornaments for a tree or  hang them on drinking glass etc… Punch a hole in the top of the cookies with a straw before baking.)

Pre-heat oven 350*F. and bake the cookies on a greased cookie sheet/half baking sheet for about 7-10 Minutes careful not to over bake. Remove Cookies from oven and let cookies cool slightly on cooking Sheet before removing.

Glac’e Icing or Royal type Icing

*1 pound of Powdered Sugar (3 and 3/4 cup)
* 6 tablespoons Whole Milk or (I used 5 tablespoons whipping cream 1 tablespoon water it worked extremely well) you can use other milk but you will have to use more powdered sugar

Whisk together in a stand mixer on medium speed, the milk and powdered sugar until smooth no lumps.
Now stir in the light corn syrup and extract.

*6 tablespoon Light Corn Syrup (1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons)
*1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, use clear Vanilla extract if you need a white frosting and if you want an Almond Flavor use an Almond extract and use it in the cookie dough too.

Use this recipe for glazing cookies and the piping of the outside of cookies. Piping helps contain the frosting while pipe filling in the center of the cookie.

Use a pastry bag for each color of frosting you want to use, small round tip for piping around the edge and then I used a plastic bottle with a tip lid to fill in the center of the cookies which had a larger opening.

Have a great day!

Lindy