This classic gingerbread cookie recipe is soft and delicious. While I love crunchy gingerbread cookies for a gingerbread house, I prefer cookies that are soft and chewy.
This recipe delivers perfect dough for cut out shapes (similar to sugar cookies) with all the cinnamon and spice flavor you love from gingerbread.
Gingerbread cookies are my husband’s favorite cookies and I make this recipe several times each holiday season. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Related Recipes: Our Best Cookie Recipes, Pinwheel Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Ingredients for gingerbread cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 cup dark molasses
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies:
- Mix flour, baking soda, salt and all spices together. set mixture aside.
- In your bowl using stand mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat until mixture is completely combined – about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides if necessary.
- Slowly add the molasses, egg, and vinegar until completely combined. It is normal for the mixture to appear curdled.
- Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping down the sides as needed. Make sure the bottom and top of your bowl are fully connected. If the batter is crumbly, it is not fully mixed.
- Divide the dough into 3-5 flattened balls and cover with cling film.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Cooling is an essential step in creating cut out shapes with nice edges. If you skip this step, your cookies may lose some of their shape as they bake.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll out the dough using as little flour as necessary. I use parchment paper to roll out if my dough is at all sticky. The dough should be about half an inch thick for a nice, soft cookie.
- Place the cut shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather and reroll shapes as needed. You don’t need to re-chill your dough unless it becomes very soft.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring.
- Decorate your cookies as you like. I used this royal icing recipe. We also have a vegan royal icing recipe.
Tips for making gingerbread cookies:
- If you prefer crispy gingerbread, simply roll the dough thinner (1/4 inch) and bake for 12 minutes instead of 10.
- You can use light or dark molasses, but don’t use blackstrap or cooking molasses or your cookies will be bitter. I used the Grandma’s Original Molasses brand, which is easy to find in the US
- Here is a link to Christmas cookie cutters that I used.
More holiday recipes:
Other recipes you might like:
FAQ
How long can you keep the dough refrigerated?
While the minimum time to chill your dough is 30 minutes, there’s really no maximum. You can store your dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days without any problems.
Can you freeze this dough?
Yes. This recipe makes a lot of dough. So if you can’t use it within two to three days, freeze it for a future cookie session.
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Spicy cut out cookies for the holiday
instructions
-
Mix flour, baking soda, salt and all spices together. set mixture aside.
-
In your bowl using stand mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat until mixture is completely combined, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides if necessary.
-
Slowly add molasses, egg, and vinegar until completely combined. It is normal for the mixture to appear curdled.
-
Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping down the sides as needed. Make sure the bottom and top of your bowl are fully connected. If the batter is crumbly, it is not fully mixed.
-
Divide the dough into 3-5 flattened balls and cover with cling film.
-
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Cooling is an essential step in creating cut out shapes with nice edges. If you skip this step, your cookies may lose some of their shape as they bake.
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
Roll out the dough using as little flour as necessary. I use parchment paper to roll out if my dough is at all sticky. The dough should be about half an inch thick for a nice, soft cookie.
-
Place the cut shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather and reroll shapes as needed. You don’t need to re-chill your dough unless it becomes very soft.
-
Bake cookies for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring.
-
Decorate your cookies as you like. I used this royal icing recipe. We also have a vegan royal icing recipe.
nutrition
nutritional information
Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies
amount per serving
% Daily Value*
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Note: Nutrition is automatically calculated using Spoonacular for your convenience. Where appropriate, we recommend using your own nutritional calculations.
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