To make the gingerbread cookies:
In a large bowl, combine the gluten free flour, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix together the unsalted butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract and mix well.
Add the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry flour mixture and mix well until thoroughly combined. The dough will be very soft and sticky.
Transfer the gingerbread dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disc. Wrap the dough well and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours, or overnight. The dough will become firm as it chills.
After chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the fridge. It may need to be worked with your hands a bit to make it pliable and rollable. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to ⅛” (3mm) thickness. If the dough gets too sticky while rolling, pop it back into the fridge (or freezer) for several minutes to chill.
Cut out cookie shapes and place on the prepared baking sheet, about ½” (1cm) apart. Chill the cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes.
While the first batch of cookies chill, begin to cut out the next round and place on the second parchment sheet.
Once the first batch of cookies has chilled, bake in the oven for 9-10 minutes until the cookies are set. The colour of the cookies will change from a dark brown to a lighter brown and they will puff up slightly.
While the first batch of cookies bake, set the second set to chill in the fridge. Begin to cut out the third round (if required). Repeat the process until all dough has been rolled, cut, chilled and baked.
Allow all cookies to fully cool on a wire rack prior to decorating.
To make the royal icing:
Sift together the icing sugar and meringue powder in a medium-sized bowl. Ensure it is mixed well.
Add in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. The royal icing will thicken and harden as time passes, but the icing should be thick enough to pipe, but not so thin that it’s runny.
To make the icing thicker, add more icing sugar. To make it thinner, add more water.
Add food colour as desired. Separate the icing into several batches if multiple colours are needed.
Place the icing into a piping bag fitted with a tip and decorate fully cooled cookies as desired.
