Gingerbread Cookie
intro
Warmly spiced, shape-retaining cutout cookies with crisp edges and a soft chewy center, perfect for holiday decorating, gifting, and sharing.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix dry ingredients
In a medium mixing bowl, combine 3 1/4 cups (390g) all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp (6g) ground ginger, 1 tsp (2.6g) ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp (0.5g) ground cloves, 1 tsp (5g) baking soda, and 1/2 tsp (3g) fine salt. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds until fully blended, with no visible spice clumps, then set the bowl aside.
Cream butter and sugar
In a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer on medium speed), beat 3/4 cup (170g) softened unsalted butter and 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar on medium-high speed for 3 full minutes, until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale caramel in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through mixing to ensure even incorporation.
Blend in wet ingredients
Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Add 1 room-temperature large egg, 1/2 cup (120ml) unsulfured molasses, and 1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture. Beat for 1 minute until fully smooth, stopping once to scrape down the bowl sides to eliminate streaks of unincorporated molasses.
Chill the dough
Turn mixer speed to low, and gradually add the dry flour-spice mixture 1/2 cup at a time, mixing only until no dry flour streaks remain (about 90 seconds total; do not overmix, as this will produce tough cookies). Divide the finished dough into two equal 1-inch thick flat discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours (or up to 3 days) until firm enough to roll without sticking.
Roll and cut shapes
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Remove one dough disc from the fridge, let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes, then roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a uniform 1/4-inch (6mm) thickness. Use floured cookie cutters to press out desired shapes, transferring cutouts to the prepared baking sheets with 1 inch of space between each cookie to allow for slight spread. Gather and re-roll dough scraps only once to avoid tough baked cookies.
Bake and cool cookies
Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookie edges are just set and slightly darker than the soft centers. Let cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes after removing from the oven (they will continue to set as they rest), then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature for 30 minutes before adding any icing or decorations.
Tips
2.Adjust bake time for your preferred texture: bake for 8 minutes for soft, chewy centers, or the full 10 minutes for crisp, snappy gingerbread that holds up well to heavy icing decorations.
3.Wait until cookies are fully cooled to room temperature before decorating with royal icing or sprinkles—warm cookie surfaces will melt icing and cause decorations to slide or smudge.
OMG these are SO good! I made them for my kid’s holiday class party yesterday and every single kid came back for a second cookie. The spice balance is perfect — not too much ginger, just enough warm cinnamon and clove to feel cozy. I did chill the dough the full 2 hours like the recipe said, and it rolled out like a dream, no sticky mess at all. Total game changer for my annual Christmas cookie platter!
Really solid gingerbread recipe! Flavor is spot on, but I will say the 2 hour chill time felt super long when I was trying to crank out cookies for our neighborhood potluck last weekend. I cut it down to 45 minutes and the cookies spread a little more than I wanted, but they still tasted great. Next time I’ll plan ahead to do the full chill.
My whole family is obsessed! I brought these to our annual family dinner gingerbread decorating night and everyone was raving about how much better they taste than the store-bought dough we usually grab. They hold their shape perfectly for decorating, and the royal icing recipe linked at the bottom pairs so well with the warm, zingy spice. 10/10 will be making these every year from now on!
Taste was amazing but I messed up the dough consistency the first go around? I think I overmeasured the molasses because the dough was super sticky even after chilling for 2 full hours. Ended up adding an extra quarter cup of flour and it worked out, but I was stressed for a minute! My roommates still ate half the batch in one sitting though, so no real harm done lol.
Game. Changer. I’ve tried so many gingerbread cookie recipes over the years that are either too bland, too crunchy, or so soft they fall apart when you pick them up. This one is the perfect middle ground — slightly crisp around the edges, soft and chewy in the middle, packed with spice. Made a double batch for my office holiday potluck and they were gone in 10 minutes flat. People were asking for the recipe before I even left!
If you love extra spicy gingerbread like I do, add an extra half teaspoon of fresh grated ginger and a pinch of black pepper! I tweaked it that way on my second batch and it took the flavor to the next level. The base recipe is perfect as is, but that little hack made it exactly what I was craving. SO good with a mug of spiked eggnog by the Christmas tree.
My kids loved helping me cut these into little gingerbread men and reindeer shapes! I was worried the chill time would be too long for their short attention spans, so I made the dough the night before and let it chill in the fridge while they slept. Worked like a charm! We decorated them with sprinkles and icing after school and they were so proud to show their dad their cookie creations when he got home from work.
Has anyone tried making these with a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour? I’m hosting a cookie swap next weekend and a few of my friends are gluten free, I’d love to serve these if they turn out well with the flour swap! The flavor profile sounds exactly like what I’m looking for, fingers crossed it works.