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Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Home » Meals » Desserts » Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Published May 8, 2023 by Jennifer. Leave a Comment.
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Kick of your holiday season with the BEST Gingerbread Cookies Recipe. These soft and chewy cookies are bursting with gingerbread flavor.

Kick of your holiday season with the BEST Gingerbread Cookies recipe. These soft gingerbread 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. 

Golden decorated gingerbread cookies on a white plate in front of milk

The best thing about gingerbread cookies is the rich molasses flavor, blended with the brown sugar and ginger, making it the perfect cookie. They are so flavorful, you can top these cookies with icing or dip them 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:

Ingredients needed to make gingerbread cookies on a white marble table.
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground nutmeg
  • ground ginger
  • kosher salt
  • unsalted butter- if using salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe
  • brown sugar
  • egg 
  • molasses-light or dark molasses both can work
  • vanilla extract

What Type of Molasses Should I Use for Baking?

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.

How to Make Gingerbread Man Cookie Recipe

  1. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl, then set the bowl aside.

    Flour and other seasonings being mixed in a clear glass bowl.

  2. In a separate large 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.

    Butter and brown sugar being added to a mixing bowl

  3. 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. 

    Uncooked gingerbread cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

  4. Remove the dough, and then flatten into a disc. Wrap the gingerbread disc of dough in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes. While dough is chilling preheat Oven to 350 degrees F and prepare the cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

  5. After thirty minutes, remove the chilled dough from the plastic wrap. Place the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper with small dowels or butter knives in between the sheets. Using a rolling pin, roll dough about 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter.  Place cookies on a prepared baking sheets, lined with parchment paper.

    rolled out uncooked gingerbread cookie dough, with cookie cutters

  6. If dough begins to soften, or when rerolling dough scraps, rewrap and chill in between batches. Soft dough is a little trickier to use and can spread while baking, distorting the cookie shape.

  7. 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. 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. 

    Gingerbread cookies being cooked on a baking sheet.

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies in the Air Fryer

Air fry at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes until dough is cooked. Allow cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from the air fryer basket. Then transfer baked cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the full recipe and air fryer directions, follow this easy Air Fryer Gingerbread Cookies recipe.

Golden brown gingerbread men cookies decorated with red and green icing.

How to Decorate Gingerbread Man Cookies

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.

Baking Tips

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • You can roll dough out on a counter or mat that has a light dusting of flour. I like to roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper so the extra flour doesn’t alter the color of the dough. 
Golden gingerbread cookies decorated with red and green frosting.

FAQ’s

Storing your Gingerbread Cookies

If you’re wanting to save some time, make these cookies ahead and let them completely cool. Then place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days before use. When you are ready to decorate this gingerbread cookie recipe, simply remove the soft cookies from the air-tight container and they are ready to go. Once cookies are decorated, store at room temperature.

Can I freeze my cookies?

These are freezer safe cookies. 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 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. 

Does this recipe have a strong ginger flavor?

The reason we love this recipe is because the key ingredients of molasses flavor and the ginger aren’t too strong. We are gingerbread cookie lovers, and this recipe is perfectly balanced. Your family will love these cookies so much, that they will be your new favorite gingerbread cookies recipe also.

What if I don’t want to use all of my dough at once?

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. I like to do this anyway, so my dough doesn’t get too soft and stick to my rolling pin.

MORE RECIPES:

  • Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Brownie Mix Cookies
  • Meringue Cookies
  • Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
  • Kitchen Sink Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Becky
Kick of your holiday season with the BEST Gingerbread Cookies Recipe. These soft and chewy cookies are bursting with gingerbread flavor.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 minutes mins
Chilling Time 30 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24
Calories 187 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 mixing bowl or Stand Mixer
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 Cookie Cutter
  • 1 Baking Sheet

Ingredients
  

  • 23/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl, 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. 
  • Remove the dough, and then flatten into a disc. Wrap the gingerbread disc of dough in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes. While dough is chilling preheat Oven to 350 degrees F and prepare the cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 
  • After thirty minutes, remove the chilled dough from the plastic wrap. Place the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper with small dowels or butter knives in between the sheets. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 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.
  • 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. 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. 

Notes

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.
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!)

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 102mgPotassium: 115mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 130IUVitamin C: 0.003mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 2mg

*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you’re using with each recipe.

©PinkWhen 2023

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May 8, 2023 · Leave a Comment

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ABOUT JENNIFER

about me

Do you feel like there is not enough time in the day? I'm with you. Hi! I'm Jen, a wife, mother, and tennis lover who likes to share all of my quick easy recipes, crafts, and more. You can find anything from delicious 30-minute dinners or scrumptious dessert recipes the whole family will love. Read more...

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