Gingerbread cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a a standmixer or bowl (with an electric handmixer), whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
Add the butter and mix until the mixture is sandy. There should be no visible pieces of butter.
Add the molasses and mix until the dough comes together.
Roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment to 1/4 inch or 1 cm thick.
Cut shapes with a cookie cutter (a sharp knife works too). Try to cut the shapes as close as possible to each other to avoid rerolling too much. Reroll as needed and cut shapes until all the dough is shaped.
Gently transfer cookies to the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) between each cookie.
Bake at for 9-11 minutes, until they look dry on top and don't intent easily if you gently poke them. Be careful not to overbake or else they'll become quite hard once cooled. Cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk the icing sugar and meringue powder together.
Add the water slowly, until the icing can run off the whisk.
Place the icing into a piping bag, cut off the tip, and decorate the cookies. You can also dip the cookies directly into the icing.