Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

Gingerbread Cookies are a favorite Christmas cookie and this makes the best gingerbread cookie recipe! Fun to make and delicious to eat!

Looking for more delicious holiday treats? I think you’ll love my Chocolate Fudge, Sugar Cookies, and easy Cracker Toffee.

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (1)

What I Love About This Recipe:

  • Soft and Chewy:My gingerbread cookie recipe makes perfectly soft and chewy gingerbread cookies every time! Yet they still hold up well for baking, decorating, and sharing.
  • Easy Recipe:My gingerbread cookie recipe is an easy recipe made of flavorful ingredients.
  • Make Ahead Friendly: The holidays are busy! I love to make the cookie dough or the soft gingerbread cookies and frosting ahead of time. See my tips to make ahead and freeze below.

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (2)

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (3)

Gingerbread cookies are made of the following simple ingredients: butter, brown sugar, molasses, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, vanilla extract, egg, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. I also like to include espresso powder to add depth to the flavor of my gingerbread cookies.

Make the Gingerbread:

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (4)
  • Cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in molasses and mix until well combined. Mix in the salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and egg until well combined.
  • Whisk together baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Slowly stir these dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.
  • Divide the dough in half and wrap it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

Roll the Gingerbread dough:

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (5)
  • Once the dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator. Roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness.
  • You may use a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar under and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to the table or rolling pin.
  • Cut shapes with a cookie cutter and place them onto prepared baking sheets. At this point you can bake immediately, but I also like to pop them back into the freezer for about 15 minutes before baking to prevent them from spreading.
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Bake the Gingerbread Cookies:

  • Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
  • Bake gingerbread cookies until they are lightly browned along the edges, about 10 minutes, or until they feel firm. Let the cookies cool completely before decorating if desired.
  • If baking from frozen, bake for approximately 12 minutes or until done.
Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (7)

Decorate the Cookies:

Decorate the cookies with icing and your favorite candies, as desired. Have fun decorating with family and friends. This is a fun activity to do with children throughout the Christmas season! This really is the best gingerbread cookies recipe!

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (8)

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

To make ahead. Make the gingerbread cookie dough, wrap it well with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to roll and bake, remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe.

To freeze cookie dough.Make the gingerbread cookie dough, wrap it really well with plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to roll and bake, remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe.

To freeze unbaked cookies. Place cut-out cookies onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and place into the freezer until the unbaked cookies are firmly frozen, about 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering the unbaked frozen cookies between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake from frozen, add about 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.

To freeze baked cookies. Allow the baked cookies to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Here’s my gingerbread cookies recipe. I hope you love them as much as we all do!

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (9)

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Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Gingerbread Cookies are a favorite Christmas cookie and this makes the best gingerbread cookie recipe! Fun to make and delicious to eat!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 36

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar, packed, (light or dark)
  • 3/4 cup (255 g) molasses
  • 1 teaspoon (2.6 g) kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons (5.2 g) ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons (3.6 g) ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon (0.57 g) espresso powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.35 g) vanilla extract
  • 1 large (50 g) egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
  • 3 1/2 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
  • confectioners’ sugar, optional

Instructions

Make the Gingerbread:

  • Cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in molasses and mix until well-combined. Mix in the salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, espresso powder, vanilla and the egg until well-combined.

  • Whisk together baking powder and baking soda into the flour and then slowly stir these dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.

  • Divide the dough in half, and wrap well. Refrigerate for 1 hour up to overnight.

Roll the Dough:

  • Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

  • Once the dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator. Roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness.

    Note: You can use dust the worksurface and rolling pin with confectioner's sugar under to keep the dough from sticking.

Cut out the Gingerbread Cookies:

  • Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake and Decorate the Gingerbread Cookies:

  • Bake gingerbread cookies until they are lightly browned along the edges, about 12 minutes, or until they feel firm. Let the cookies cool completely before decorating, if desired.

Notes

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

To make ahead. Make the gingerbread cookie dough, wrap it well with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to roll and bake, remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe.

To freeze cookie dough.Make the gingerbread cookie dough, wrap it really well with plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to roll and bake, remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe.

To freeze unbaked cookies. Place cut-out cookies onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and place into the freezer until the unbaked cookies are firmly frozen, about 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering the unbaked frozen cookies between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake from frozen, add about 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.

To freeze baked cookies. Allow the baked cookies to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 138mg | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Happy Baking!
Robyn xo

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (10)

Categorized as:All Recipes, By Cooking Style, Christmas Recipes, Cookie Recipes, Cooking, Dessert Recipes, Essentials, Freezer Friendly Recipes, Holiday and Occasion Recipes, Make-ahead Recipes, Recipes

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? ›

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? Soft gingerbread biscuits are ideal. They ought to be flexible. However, they should still be somewhat elastic, and if you hold them too firmly because you're so excited to eat them, you might even be able to leave your fingerprints on the cookie!

What is the difference between gingerbread and ginger cookies? ›

While molasses cookies and gingersnaps are rolled into dough balls and then baked, gingerbread is rolled flat then use cookie cutters to cut your desired shape. This Gingerbread Cookie recipe is foolproof and SO easy to make.

Is shortening or butter better for gingerbread? ›

Is Butter Or Shortening Better For Gingerbread Cookies? Cookies made with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be flatter and crispier than cookies made with shortening.

What type of molasses for gingerbread cookies? ›

Dark Molasses

How to use it: It can generally be used in place of light molasses and is what gives gingerbread cookies their distinct color and flavor.

Can you use maple syrup instead of molasses in gingerbread cookies? ›

Are there any substitutes for molasses? It won't taste exactly the same, but maple syrup can work in a pinch.

Can I use golden syrup instead of molasses? ›

Golden syrup, also known as "light treacle," is made from the evaporation of sugarcane, which creates a light, golden syrup very reminiscent of honey. Lyle's is a popular brand of golden syrup. Try using 1 cup golden syrup for every 1 cup molasses in a recipe.

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
  • BROWN GINGERBREAD.
  • WAFER GINGERBREAD.
  • HONEY GINGERBREAD.

Why didn't my ginger molasses cookies crack? ›

Why don't my molasses cookies crack? Molasses cookie dough won't have those signature cracks on top if the dough is too wet. The cracks happen when the surface of the dough dries up. Rolling in sugar really helps this because the sugar binds the moisture and dries out the dough.

What is the most popular cookie in the US? ›

Nearly 93% of all American households serve and enjoy cookies as treats or after meals. However, it's the chocolate chip cookie that's the most popular in the U.S. and around the world.

What happens if you use Crisco instead of butter in cookies? ›

Cookies Made with Butter vs Shortening

The butter cookie provides better flavor and a crispier exterior with browning around edges and a chewy interior; the shortening cookie spreads less, holding its shape better while baking.

What happens if you put too much butter in gingerbread cookies? ›

Too much butter made for sticky dough, but delicious cookies. I had to use a spatula to lift these people-shaped cutouts from my flour-dusted countertop and onto a baking sheet. The dough was sticky, which resulted in slightly swollen cookies, but the finished product was nearly perfect.

Why is shortening not used in baking anymore? ›

However, shortening has fallen out of favor in the past few decades because of its high trans fat content. Now that trans fats are banned in the United States, however, shortenings have been reformulated to be free of these fats ( 1 ).

Can I use blackstrap molasses instead of regular molasses in gingerbread cookies? ›

As far as I can find, molasses is about 70% sugar and high in moisture, while blackstrap is 45% sugar, low in moisture, dense, bitter and salty.” Remember to use blackstrap only when a recipe calls for the ingredient, such as with baked beans. But don't sub in the sweetener for light or dark molasses.

Is grandma's unsulphured molasses the same as blackstrap? ›

Unsulphured molasses can be light, dark or blackstrap, as long as it hasn't been treated with sulphur dioxide. Most commercially produced molasses is unsulphured.

Is molasses or golden syrup better for gingerbread? ›

Molasses – Essential for that deep, rich, caramel-like gingerbread flavour! It also helps hold the dough's shape. Golden syrup makes a great sub, or treacle. Honey will also work, but the cookies will spread out a touch more and not have the same deep flavour (but still very, very good!).

How can you tell when gingerbread cookies are done? ›

Gingerbread Cookies are done when they are set and begin to brown slightly at the edges. They will harden further as they cool, so avoid overbaking so you don't end up with hard, crunchy gingerbread! Underbake slightly to achieve soft, slightly chewy gingerbread cookies.

Should cookies be hard or soft? ›

Fully cooked cookies should have a slightly crisp edge with a soft and chewy centre. If the cookie tastes raw or doughy, it needs more time in the oven. Flavour development: Cookies often develop more flavour as they cool down. If the taste is slightly lacking, allow them to cool entirely before finalising.

Why are my gingerbread cookies dry? ›

Too much flour will make your cookies crumbly and dry. If your dough is too crumbly: mix in 1 tbsp of milk until the dough is soft and pliable again. Be sure to chill your dough for at least 3 hours. This will help the flavor of the dough and consistency so it doesn't spread when baking.

Should cookie dough be soft or hard? ›

The perfect cookie dough consistency should be soft and pliable, but sometimes the texture of our cookie dough comes out dry and crumbly, which may lead to some dry cookies. Some of the common reasons you may have dry, crumbly dough include: Not Enough Fat.

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