Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies from a Cookie Mix | The Bearfoot Baker

They say Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and I totally agree with that, but it is also the busiest time of the year. I am always looking for things that will allow me to do all the traditional things I have done in the past, but also will help save time so the holidays are enjoyable instead of becoming stressful. Things like these Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies really help make the season a bit easier. They are made with a Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix and only take a few minutes to make so I can give the people on my list something homemade and still be able to get a little sleep at night.

Simple Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies From a Cookie Mix | The Bearfoot Baker

Aren’t they cute little cookies? Seriously, they are delicious and very simple to make. So go to the store now and buy the Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix and bake a batch for work tomorrow. Your co-workers will love you even more than they do right now!

Supplies for Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies:
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Cookies:
  • Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix
  • 1 Stick (4 ounces) of softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 egg
Icing:
Traditional Thumbprint Cookie Recipe:
  • 1 1/4 cups of Confectioners Sugar (10-x powdered sugar)
  • 2 tablespoons of milk
Easy-Gingerbread-Thumbprint-Cookies-From-a-Cookie-Mix-The-Bearfoot-Baker.jpg

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies

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Ingredients

Cookies:

  • Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix
  • 1 Stick 4 ounces of softened butter
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • Don't add the tablespoon of water that the package recipe calls for

Traditional Thumbprint Cookie Recipe:

  • 1 1/4 cups of Confectioners Sugar 10-x powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of milk

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies:

  • Place all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix them together until well blended.
  • The cookie dough will look clumpy but that is how it is supposed to look.
  • Use a teaspoon or small cookie scoop to measure out even amounts of dough.
  • Roll them into balls and bake them in a 375 degree oven for about 6 minutes.
  • When you remove them from the oven, immediately use the back of the measuring teaspoon to make an indent in the cookies.
  • Let them cool completely before you decorate them.

Royal Icing:

Traditional Thumbprint Icing Recipe:

  • Or you can use the more traditional icing for thumbprint cookies that made with confectioners sugar and milk.
  • Mix the confectioners sugar and milk until smooth.

Color the Icing:

  • Place a small amount of the white icing into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag.
  • Mix the brown by adding a small amount of Warm Brown, Lemon Yellow and Super Red AmeriColor Food Gel and mix until you get a gingerbread brown color. Place it in a piping bag or a Ziploc bag.

Decorate:

  • Fill each indention with the gingerbread colors and then make a wavy line of white through the center. Let the cookies dry completely.
Let’s get started!

Easy Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies From a Cookie Mix | The Bearfoot Baker

I love making these cookies because they are easy, fast, and delicious and you can get a lot of cookies from one cookie mix. If you get a little creative with the icing people will know what kind of cookie it is without having to ask you. I am going to place them in little Christmas tins and add a tag with a gingerbread man cookie to the top that is held on with a pretty Christmas ribbon. It’s a fun way to spread a little Christmas cheer.

Use A Cookie Mix to Make These Cute Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies | The Bearfoot Baker

  • To make the cookies, place one stick of softened butter in a bowl.

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies from a Simple Cookie Mix | The Bearfoot Baker

  • Add one egg.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Don’t add the water that the recipe on the back of the bag tells you to add. Leave it out.

How to Make Cute Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies from a Cookie Mix | The Bearfoot Baker

  • Mix well.
  • The dough will look clumpy and that is alright because that is how it is supposed to look.

How to Make Adorable Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies from a Cookie Mix | The Bearfoot Baker

  • It may look clumpy but when you roll the cookie balls they will stick together.

Easiest Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies Ever | The Bearfoot Baker

  • Look at all of these little gingerbread thumbprint cookies just waiting to be baked! I don’t know if I can wait 6 minutes for them to bake.
  • I know you might be tempted to make the indentions in the cookies before you bake them but don’t do it yet. It works better if you wait until they are fresh out of the oven.
I love this part!

Easiest Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies You Will Ever Make | The Bearfoot Baker

  • Once you remove them from the oven, wait about one minute and then use the back of a measuring spoon to make the indents for the icing. Don’t wait longer or they will become too firm.

How to Make Simple Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies | The Bearfoot Baker

  • Let them cool before you add the icing.

Cute Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies from a Cookie Mix | The Bearfoot Baker

  • Mix and tint the icing. I used royal icing because it dries hard and will work great for stacking the cookies in tins, placing them in jars, or for shipping them.
  • If you are looking for a more traditional icing you can mix 1 and 1/4 cups of Confectioners Sugar (10-x powdered sugar) with 2 tablespoons of milk.
  • Place some white icing into a piping bag fitted with a #2 tip or you can place it in a Ziploc bag.
  • Mix the gingerbread color by mixing Americolor Warm Brown, Lemon Yellow, and red until you get a gingerbread color. It doesn’t take much gel so add a little at a time until you get the color you want.
  • Fill each cookie with the gingerbread-colored icing and immediately add a wavy line with the white icing to the center of each cookie.
  • Let them dry completely before packing or stacking them.

Simple Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies From a Cookie Mix | The Bearfoot Baker

Now that I have a few more gifts done I am going to get a cup of hot chocolate and go to Dollywood to see a few shows and all of the Christmas lights. I am going to have a small tin of these gingerbread thumbprint cookies in my bag to enjoy while watching the shows. That is another Christmas tradition of ours. I wish you could join us for a Tender Tennessee Christmas and go see a few shows with us. Let me know if you come to town. Maybe we can get a cookie or something!

Bear hugs,

Lisa