Gingerbread cookies are a timeless holiday treat that delights both young and old with their warm and spicy flavor. Perfectly spiced and beautifully shaped, these cookies evoke memories of festive gatherings and cozy winter nights.
In this article, we will guide you through a simple and foolproof recipe to create the most delightful gingerbread cookies that will impress your family and friends.
What You Will LOVE About Them
- Soft and Chewy: Gingerbread cookies have a reputation for being hard and crispy, but not this recipe! Follow my baking tips and they will turn out perfectly soft and chewy.
- Make Ahead or Freeze: You can prepare the chewy gingerbread cookies or dough in advance. See tips below in the post.
- Fun to Decorate: Kids of all ages love decorating Christmas gingerbread man cookies, so plan it for your next Christmas party![mfn]https://www.loveandlemons.com/gingerbread-cookies-recipe/[/mfn] You can make the soft gingerbread cookies and frosting ahead of time so that the kids can just enjoy decorating[mfn]https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-gingerbread-cookies/[/mfn].
Nutritional Information per Serving
- Calories: 120kcal
- Fat: 6g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
- Sodium: 120mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 20g
- Dietary Fiber: 1g
- Sugars: 10g
- Protein: 2g
The Recipe for Gingerbread cookies
- Prep Time: 4hours
- Cook Time: 10minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours,10minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
Equipments and Kitchen Utensils Used in the Recipe:
Cookie cutters, rolling pin, large baking sheets, baking mats.
Ingredients:
For the Gingerbread Dough:
-
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Royal Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg white
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Food coloring (optional)
Unique Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Preparing the Gingerbread Dough
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set the dry mixture aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer.
- Add the egg, molasses, and pure vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions, and wrap each portion with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to make the dough easier to handle.
Rolling and Cutting the Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of the chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use gingerbread cookie cutters of your choice to cut out shapes, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between each cookie.
- Gather the scraps, reroll the dough, and continue cutting out cookies until you use up all the dough.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly darker. Keep a close eye on them to avoid over-baking.
- Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a clean mixing bowl, prepare the royal icing by whisking together powdered sugar, egg white, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy.
- For colored icing, divide the royal icing into separate bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl until you achieve the desired shades.
- Transfer the colored icing to piping bags fitted with small round tips or use resealable plastic bags with tiny holes cut at the corners.
- Decorate the cooled gingerbread cookies with the royal icing, creating intricate designs or simply outlining the cookies’ shapes.
- Allow the icing to set completely before storing or serving the cookies.
Recipe Note
- To Make Ahead: Make the gingerbread and store it, well covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Roll out and cut into cookies when ready to bake. You can also bake the cookies and freeze them.
- To Freeze: wrap the dough really well in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Freeze for 2-3 months. Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before attempting to roll. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months
Delightful Gingerbread Cookie Perfection – A Flavorful Recipe to Sweeten Your Moments
Now that you have this delightful gingerbread cookie recipe, you can create your own batch of festive treats to share with loved ones during the holiday season.[mfn]https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/gingerbread-cookies/[/mfn]
These spiced and beautifully decorated cookies are sure to become a favorite addition to your holiday traditions, spreading warmth and joy with every bite. Happy baking!
Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Gingerbread cookies are a timeless holiday treat that delights both young and old with their warm and spicy flavor. Perfectly spiced and beautifully shaped, these cookies evoke memories of festive gatherings and cozy winter nights.
- Cookie cutters
- Rolling pin
- Large Baking Sheets
- baking mats
- Timer
For the Gingerbread Dough:
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Royal Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg white
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Food coloring (optional)
Preparing the Gingerbread Dough
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set the dry mixture aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer.
- Add the egg, molasses, and pure vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions, and wrap each portion with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to make the dough easier to handle.
Rolling and Cutting the Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of the chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use gingerbread cookie cutters of your choice to cut out shapes, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between each cookie.
- Gather the scraps, reroll the dough, and continue cutting out cookies until you use up all the dough.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly darker. Keep a close eye on them to avoid over-baking.
- Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a clean mixing bowl, prepare the royal icing by whisking together powdered sugar, egg white, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy.
- For colored icing, divide the royal icing into separate bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl until you achieve the desired shades.
- Transfer the colored icing to piping bags fitted with small round tips or use resealable plastic bags with tiny holes cut at the corners.
- Decorate the cooled gingerbread cookies with the royal icing, creating intricate designs or simply outlining the cookies’ shapes.
- Allow the icing to set completely before storing or serving the cookies.
- To Make Ahead: Make the gingerbread and store it, well covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Roll out and cut into cookies when ready to bake. You can also bake the cookies and freeze them.
- To Freeze: wrap the dough really well in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Freeze for 2-3 months. Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before attempting to roll. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months