What is Christmas without its dark, chewy, molasses-infused gingerbread cookie? Not a Christmas I want to be part of.

Now this one was definitely a team effort, as my delightfully majestic boyfriend was inclined to try out his cut-out cookie and piping skills. And to be honest, he wasn’t that bad…

Typically, I like my gingerbread plain and spicy (like me). But, as you know, Eric prefers his desserts to taste like they are made entirely out of sugar. So I made an exception this time and used this as an opportunity to teach my lumberjack how to pipe royal icing!

At last, my bakery skills had payed off. And while you certainly don’t have to add royal icing to your gingerbread, I must say that they do look quite dashing with it.

This gluten-free gingerbread recipe was adapted from my mother’s, and I’d say that it turned out pretty well. The cookies had a good rise, with an incredible amount of spice (which I love!). Even Eric was pleased with the plain version, despite his sugar addiction.

These gingerbabies cut out of the dough very well, but I still prefer to use a tiny metal spatula to scoop them up and slap them on a baking sheet.

Of course, you can use any shaped cutter you have on hand, but I ended up making traditional gingerbread men, log cabins, bells, doves, snowflakes, and (thanks to my boyfriend) a shape that looks remarkably like a chubby, waving penguin.

Below you can see them rising in the oven.

Now I must say that I am not that familiar with gingerbread, but these turned out to be relatively chewy and full of spice. So if that’s what you like, then these are for you.