These Gingerbread Cookies are soft in the middle, crisp on the edges, and perfect for decorating with icing and sprinkles!
Looking for more holiday baking recipes? Try my Gingerbread loaf, Peanut Butter Blossoms, or Chimney Cakes next!
About This Recipe
Growing up, one of my favorite parts of Christmas was building gingerbread houses. My friend's mom used to be a professional baker, and we'd make them at their house every year. It was super fun, but the worst part was that we couldn't eat the gingerbread after because no one wanted to break apart the house they'd just built.
As an adult, I opt to make gingerbread cookies instead. You get all the fun of making the cookies, but no guilt for eating them!
Today, I'm here to share with you my BEST gingerbread cookie recipe. They bake up soft in the center, crisp at the edges, and they're packed with warm holiday spices. The flavor is rich with molasses and brown sugar, and of course, the flavors of ginger and cinnamon just blend in beautifully. I know you'll love this recipe as much as me, and not a single gingerbread man will be left!
Key Ingredients
Butter: Ideally, you want the butter to be softened so it's easier to cream together with the sugar and salt. That said, if your butter is fridge temperature, I've found that you can just beat the butter alone in a stand mixer for 2 minutes to soften it up.
Brown sugar: I've always used brown sugar for gingerbread cookies, but the funny thing is, brown sugar is just regular sugar with some molasses added to it. Since we're already adding molasses, I suppose you could use regular sugar as well.
Spices: Salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and allspice (optional).
Flour: Make sure you spoon and level the flour into your measuring cup as opposed to scooping directly from the flour bag, because scooping directly will compact the flour and cause you to overmeasure.
Baking soda: Provides a tiny bit of leavening (it reacts with molasses, which is mildly acidic, to create air bubbles, which makes the cookies not so dense).
Molasses: Use unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap.
Egg: For binding all the ingredients together.
Instructions
STEP 1: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, salt, and spices until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.
STEP 2: Add the molasses and egg and mix well.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Mix this into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined.
STEP 4: Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 2 days.
STEP 5: Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use cookie cutters to cut cookies into shape.
STEP 6: Transfer to baking sheets with a bit of space between each one (they grow a little but not too much).
STEP 7: Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP 8: To make the icing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and gradually beat everything from low to medium speed until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Place in a piping bag, or Ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner, and decorate as you wish.
📋 Recipe
Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter (softened)
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 large egg
For the icing
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons warm water
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, salt, and spices until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the molasses and egg and mix well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Mix this into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 2 days.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Let the gingerbread dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling.
- Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use cookie cutters to cut cookies into shape and transfer to baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Beat on low speed initially, then increase to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes until thickened and glossy. Cover until ready to use.
MK
This is my new favorite! I didn’t have meringue powder so I just whipped up 2egg whites and added an extra 1/2 cup of sugar and an extra pinch of cream of tartar to the whites. Absolutely my new favorite! Set up like a dream! Kids loved it too!
Grump
Yay, glad that worked out too!