Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamy. Add the molasses and egg.
Mix in the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to create a stiff, yet moist batter.
Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a flat rectangle. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
Roll dough out on a floured work surface to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes with floured cookie cutters, cutting them as close to one another as possible to minimize waste.
Place the cookie on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies feel firm to the touch and are lightly browned around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Royal Icing
Add the meringue powder and water to a large bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Add the orange extract if using.
Add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, and continue beating until the icing is spreadable and glossy
To Color the Icing
Add icing to a small bowl, add gel coloring and thoroughly mix to combine. Use separate bowls for each color.
To Outline the Edges of the Cookies
Fill a squeeze bottle, pastry bag, or zipper top bag with icing and a decorative tip. Gently squeeze the icing around the edges of your cookies and allow to harden.
Go back and fill in the center of the cookie with icing. Decorate with decorative sprinkles and sugars while icing is still wet. The icing will harden as it dries.
To Frost the Cookies
Spread the icing with a decorating knife or offset spatula. Decorate with decorative sprinkles and sugars while the icing is still wet.
To Glaze the Cookies
Mix the Simple Cookie Glaze in a wide bowl. Dip each cookie into the glaze gently moving the cookie from left to right for good coverage. Pull the cookie up from the glaze, allow glaze to pour off for 1 or 2 seconds, and flip the cookie over. Place on a wire rack over a baking sheet to allow excess glaze to run off.
Once the glaze is completely set/dry, decorate with royal icing or food safe marker designs if desired.
Notes
Any cracks and imperfections will show through the cookie glazed cookies {the snowflakes and green trees}. Royal Icing hides all imperfections.
For a thinner, pour-able royal icing add less powdered sugar. Just don’t get it too thin or it won’t stay on the cookie.
For crispier cookies, roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
When rolling the dough, flour both sides of the dough and the work surface.
I added orange extract to my icing because I do not like the flavor of straight royal icing. Mint or clear vanilla would also be delicious!