Gnome Cookies

5 from 8 votes

Crafted from a delectable chocolate dough, these adorable Gnome Cookies are adorned with vibrant icing, adding a festive touch that's ideal for any holiday cookie tray.

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate cut-out cookies, gnome cookies

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 10

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 50

Servings cookies

Calories 266kcal

Author Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

For the cookies:

3/4 cup unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
1 large egg - at room temp
1 large egg yolk - at room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210 grams)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (61 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the icing

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter - melted
1/4 cup half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar (360 grams)
food coloring, sprinkles, etc.

Instructions

Cream the butter and sugar together. Use a large standing mixer with a paddle attachment. Combine butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Then add the remaining wet ingredients - eggs and vanilla - and mix again.
3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams), 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add dry ingredients. To the bowl, add the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Mix again on low speed until well combined. Do not over-mix.
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210 grams), 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (61 grams), 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Prep dough. Remove the dough from the bowl of the mixer, and form it into a ball. Then take a knife and slice it in half.
Roll out the dough. Place one-half of the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Repeat with the other half.
Chill. Refrigerate both halves of rolled-out chocolate sugar cookie dough (covered in plastic wrap) until you're ready to work with it. Chill time can range from one hour to a day.
Form shapes. Remove the rolled-out dough and let it rest for five minutes. Then use cookie cutters to press cookie dough into shapes. Place shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Use the scraps to form additional shapes. Roll scraps into a ball and press it out again. You may want to add some cocoa powder to the parchment paper to make it less sticky, especially after the dough has warmed up some.
Bake cookies. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chocolate cut out cookies for about 10 minutes, or until they hold their shape. Bake time may vary according to individual ovens and thickness of cookies.
Cool. Let the baked cookies sit on the pan for about 5-10 minutes before carefully transferring cookies to a wire rack to fully cool.
Decorate cookies. Decorate chocolate sugar cookies however you wish. We normally enjoy a simple buttercream icing but royal icing is super popular too (although it's not my favorite (flavor-wise).
Make the icing. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, half and half, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to combine the ingredients until the frosting is light and creamy.
* Divide the icing into separate parts depending on the colors you're using. I divided it in half and used one part for the beards (left it white). The other half of the icing was divided in half again - one part green and one part blue.
* Spread the colored icing on the top half of the gnomes and the white in the lower half (the beard). Add a red candy for the nose and some sparkling sugar on the beard. Or decorate however you prefer!
NOTE: I used a spoon to add icing for the hat and a piping tool (or pastry bags) for the beard.
3 cups powdered sugar (360 grams), 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/4 cup half and half, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, food coloring, sprinkles, etc.

Notes

Storing and Freezing:

Store cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Keep them at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Freeze unfrosted cookies stacked in a freezer bag for up to three months. You can also freeze them frosted in a single layer (in a freezer-safe container).

Nutrition