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    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Gingerbread Pirate Cookies

    By Wendy Sondov · Published: Sep 15, 2017 · Modified: Sep 24, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe

    Ahoy Mateys! Celebrate Talk like a Pirate Day any day of the year with this swashbuckling cookie crew! Chewy and sweet, fall flavored Gingerbread Pirate Cookies are spiced with ginger and cinnamon.

    Gingerbread Pirate Cookies, captain and crew, made with a gingerbread man cookie cutter and decorated with colorful glaze icing pirate costumes.

    Why you'll love these gingerbread cookies

    • The firm, chewy cookies bake without spreading.
    • Use a regular gingerbread man cookie cutter to make these adorable pirate cookies.
    • These Gingerbread Pirate Cookies were inspired by the book, “Gingerbread Pirates” written by Kristin Kladstrup and illustrated by Matt Tavares. Making the cookies and book a great gift idea.

    Surprisingly, the publisher of "The Gingerbread Pirates" didn’t pounce on the opportunity to include a gingerbread recipe and market the book with a cookie cutter and sprinkles.

    The Monday Box is filling that gap! Though a Christmas story, this book (and the Gingerbread Pirate Cookies) are sure to delight pirate enthusiasts, young and old, year round.

    The cover of the childrens picture book, "The Gingerbread Pirates" by Kristin Kladstrup with Gingerbread Pirate Cookies iced to match the illustration.

    Instructions

    This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

    Images showing how to make the captain cookie's hat by cutting the cookie dough around a hat stencil.
    • There is no special equipment needed for creating Gingerbread Pirate Cookies. A gingerbread cookie cutter (like this one) is all that is needed for the buccaneer crew.
    • The captain cookie’s shape has an added hat. I cut-out a triangular hat stencil, laid it on top of the cookie cutter shape, and cut around the stencil with a knife tip. The hat and the head fuse together while baking.
    • Use disposable decorating bags with #2 or #3 Wilton tips to pipe the glaze icing, or because the decorating is not detailed, pipe the icing from a tiny hole cut in a plastic bag.
    • Preparing the icing for Gingerbread Pirate Cookies is super simple. Divide one batch of icing, with a consistency slightly thicker than white glue, into 5 colors.
    • Add the white (¼ cup) icing directly to the piping bag.
    • The black is ¼ cup icing mixed with 1 teaspoon baking cocoa (to darken), and 2 drops Super Black food coloring gel.
    • Divide the remainder of the icing in thirds for the red, blue, and green icing and is mixed with 2-3 drops of Super Red, Sky Blue, or Leaf Green food coloring gel.

    Storage

    Leave the decorated pirate cookies overnight to dry completely before wrapping.

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    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later! Plus, you’ll get more great recipes and tips from us each week!

    When the icing is dry, store the gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

    Decorated gingerbread cookies that look like pirates

    More molasses cookies recipes

    Chocolate Chip Molasses Cookies are chewy cookies speckled with chopped chocolate bits.

    Decorate Gingerbread Fall Leaves with sponge painted icing to look just like real colorful fall leaves. The chewy, spiced gingerbread is delicious.

    Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy cookies with the flavors of pumpkin pie spice and creamy white chocolate chips.

    Gingerbread men cookies decorated with icing to look like a pirate captain and his crew.

    Ready to bake? Join the free membership group to get new recipes and a newsletter delivered to your inbox! You can also stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’d love to stay in touch!

    Chewy gingerbread men cookies decorated like pirates with glaze icing .

    Gingerbread Pirate Cookies

    These chewy gingerbread men are dressed up like pirates! Use delicious glaze icing to turn plain gingerbread cookies into a pirate captain and his crew.
    5 from 1 vote
    Pin Recipe Print Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 2 hours hours
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Drying Time: 1 day day
    Total Time: 1 day day 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 32
    Calories: 234kcal
    Author: Wendy Sondov
    Adapted From: Lilaloa.com (gingerbread)

    Ingredients

    Cookies

    • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
    • 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar packed
    • ⅓ cup molasses
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 4½ cups all-purpose flour an additional ½ cup may be needed if not chilling the dough

    Decorating

    • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
    • 3 tablespoon milk add more to thin icing to desired consistency
    • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Food coloring gel Super Red, Super Black, Sky Blue, Leaf Green
    • Sprinkles candy eyes, oval red nose, optional clothing sprinkles

    Instructions

    Cookies

    • Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and molasses and mix until incorporated. Stir in spices and salt.
    • Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough is roll-out consistency. When baking immediately, I needed 4 ½ – 5 cups. For dough that will be refrigerated overnight before baking use only 4 cups.
    • Roll ⅓ of the dough out to ¼” thickness on a lightly floured surface. Hint: Because these cookies spread minimally, cutting them out directly on the parchment paper they will be baked on, eliminates the need to transfer the cut out dough. Roll the dough out on a sheet of parchment paper the size of your cookie sheet. Cut out the cookies about 1” apart. Remove the excess dough from around the cut-out cookies (add it to the unused dough). Slide the parchment onto your cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
    • Bake for 7-10 minutes. (Cookies will firm slightly as they cool.) Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Decorating

    • By hand or with an electric mixer, combine sugar and milk until smooth.
    • Add corn syrup and vanilla. Continue beating together until smooth and glossy. Add additional milk in teaspoon increments until desired consistency. (Icing consistency should be slightly thicker than white glue.)
    • Divide the icing for 5 colors. The white (¼ cup) can be added directly to the piping bag. Place ¼ cup of icing into a small mixing bowl for the black icing and combine with 1 teaspoon baking cocoa (to darken), and 2 drops Super Black food coloring gel. The remainder of the icing is divided into small mixing bowls in thirds for the red, blue, and green icing and each is mixed with 2-3 drops of Super Red, Sky Blue, or Leaf Green food coloring gel.
    • Place the colored icing into disposable piping bags fitted with #2 or #3 piping tips(or ziplock bags with a tiny piece of a bottom corner cut off).
    • Decorate pirate cookies with icing and sprinkles.
    • Allow to air dry overnight before wrapping. Once dry, store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

    Notes

    Packing tips
    Double wrap pairs of cookies (with bottoms together) in plastic wrap or a cookie bag, then place in an airtight container or freezer weight zip lock bag.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheMondayBox or tag #themondaybox!

    First published September 15, 2017. Last updated September 24, 2025. Updated for better reader experience.

    Gingerbread Pirates picture book with some of the gingerbread cookies that look like the illustrations in the book.

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    Comments

    1. Miz Helen

      September 25, 2017 at 11:49 am

      Your Gingerbread Pirate Cookies are just adorable, as only you can make them! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
      Miz Helen

      Reply
      • The Monday Box

        September 25, 2017 at 9:11 pm

        Thank you, Miz Helen! I had fun with these pirates and luckily they were beginner level decorating! Thank you for hosting Full Plate Thursday!

        Reply
    2. Reeni

      September 24, 2017 at 3:39 pm

      I love your new idea and the first book you picked! Perfect match. The cookies are so adorable - your decorating skills are superb!

      Reply
      • The Monday Box

        September 24, 2017 at 8:57 pm

        Thanks, Reeni! I love children's picture books and so many of them lend themselves to a baking project! I appreciate your enthusiasm and kind compliments!!

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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