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Start your holiday baking with the BEST Gingerbread Cookies. These cookies have slightly crisp edges and a soft center with a delicious gingerbread flavor. Get your cookie cutters ready and turn these delicious cookies into fun festive treats.
Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
The best thing about gingerbread cookies is the rich molasses flavor, blended with the brown sugar and ginger, making perfect Christmas cookies. I love making these cookies as cut outs, but you can also make them as round simple cookies, frosted or dipped in chocolate for a fun spin.
Whether you’re starting a new holiday tradition and you want to make those adorable gingerbread cookies, or you need a yummy cookie to take to your cookie exchange party, this gingerbread cookie recipe is perfect.
Ingredients You Will Need
- all-purpose flour- this is what gives our cookies their structure and texture.
- baking soda- a popular leavening agent that helps cookies rise to be light and fluffy.
- ground cinnamon- adds a light flavor to the cookies.
- ground nutmeg- a nutty spice that helps create a holiday blend with the cinnamon and ginger.
- ground ginger- a sweet and slightly nutty spice that makes these cookies have a delicious ginger flavor.
- kosher salt- will help enhance the other flavors of the cookie.
- unsalted butter- if using salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
- brown sugar- adds a molasses flavor to the cookie.
- egg- acts as a binder and helps hold ingredients together.
- molasses-adds a richness to the cookie. Light or dark molasses both can work.
- vanilla extract- adds a sweet flavor to cookies.
How to Make Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
STEP 1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the other dry ingredients, (baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.) Set mixing bowl aside.
STEP 2. In a separate large mixing bowl, add the butter and brown sugar. Use an electric mixer, or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, then cream the butter and brown sugar together at medium speed. Once mixed, add in the egg, vanilla extract, and molasses. Continue mixing on medium-high speed until well combined.
STEP 3. Slowly, add the flour mixture and continue mixing on medium-low speed until all of the ingredients are combined and a soft dough forms. Scrape the inside of the bowl if needed to get all of the ingredients into the dough.
STEP 4. Remove the dough, divide it in half, and then flatten into round discs. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.
STEP 5. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare the cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
STEP 5. Once the dough is chilled, remove it from the plastic wrap. Roll the dough until it’s about 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter. Place cookies on a prepared baking sheets, lined with parchment paper. (If dough begins to soften, rewrap and chill in between batches. Soft dough is a little trickier to use and can spread while baking, distorting the cookie shape.)
STEP 6. Bake cookies in the oven 8-10 minutes until dough is firm and the edges of cookies are just turning golden brown. I like to rotate the pan every two-three minutes cook time to ensure even baking.
STEP 7. Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies in the Air Fryer
For a quick version of these cookies, make them in the air fryer! Here’s a link to the full Air Fryer Gingerbread Cookies recipe and air fryer directions.
Royal Icing Recipe
I use this royal icing recipe to decorate these cookies. You can also buy royal icing premade in most baking sections of grocery stores.
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup meringue powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar
To make royal icing, in a large bowl, combine the water and meringue powder. Stir together until the powder is dissolved. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth. For lining the cookies, or “flooding” the cookie, adjust the thickness of the icing with more or less powdered sugar.
For best colors, use gel food coloring with royal icing.
Types of Molasses
There are different types of molasses. Light or dark molasses are best for these cookies. I like to use Grandma’s Original which is closest to a light molasses. I don’t recommend blackstrap molasses because it’s very bitter. In a pinch, I’ve used corn syrup when I’ve been out of molasses, and it works great too. Both make a chewy gingerbread cookie.
Baking Tips
Use candies to decorate: Once you bake these cookies, you can decorate the gingerbread people and use royal icing or a store bought icing in a pastry bag and create an epic gingerbread man! We also like to use cinnamon candies for the buttons on the belly. (or decorate those gingerbread houses!)
Easy clean up: For easy clean up when decorating with royal icing, we like to put the completely cooled cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, so we can throw the parchment paper away when we are done decorating.
Let the kids help: Sometimes I have little hands that like to help. I give them little 1-inch balls of dough so they can make their own shapes and have fun playing and creating right with me.
Variations
Get creative with gingerbread cookie dough: The great thing about these ginger molasses cookies other than its classic gingerbread flavor, is that you can use the cookie dough for making fun edible things! Grab some of your favorite cookie cutters and make shapes besides gingerbread men, or even divide dough so that you can create gingerbread houses as well.
FAQ’s
Place them in an airtight container and store for up to three days before use. Once decorated keep stored at room temperature.
Once you have baked the cookies, completely cool them and place them in a freezer bag. If you want to stack them in a Ziploc bag, simply add a small sheet of wax paper or parchment paper in between each layer and place them in the freezer. When you are ready to decorate, remove them from your freezer and let them thaw on your counter for an hour.
If you want to make a smaller batch and do another one later, simply wrap dough in plastic wrap and place it back into the refrigerator until you are ready to bake your next round of cookies.
The reason we love this recipe is because the key ingredients of molasses flavor and the ginger aren’t too strong. These cookies are slightly sweet, with warm flavors that comes from the spices. We are gingerbread cookie lovers, and this recipe is perfectly balanced.
More Cookie Recipes
Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Mixer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Spatula
- cookie cutters
- icing bag and frosting tips
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teasoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients together and then set the bowl aside.
- In a large separate mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, add the butter and brown sugar. Cream the butter and brown sugar together at medium speed. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and molasses. Continue mixing on medium-high speed until well combined.
- Slowly, add the flour mixture into the mixture and continue mixing on medium-low speed until all of ingredients are combined and a soft dough forms. Scrape the inside of the bowl if needed to get all of the ingredients into the dough.
- Divide the dough and shape into round disc shape. Then wrap them separately in in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare the cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Once the dough is chilled, remove it from the plastic wrap and roll dough until it's about 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place cookies on a prepared baking sheets. (If dough begins to soften, rewrap and chill in between batches. Soft dough is a little trickier to use and can spread while baking, distorting the cookie shape.)
- Bake cookies in the oven 8-10 minutes until dough is firm and the edges of cookies are just turning golden brown.
- Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat plain or decorate with icing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love them