soft and chewy gingerbread cookies

These rich and dark molasses cookies are soft, chewy perfection. This is the quintessential gingerbread cookie recipe for holiday baking! Make them ahead of time and stored in the freezer for up to three months.

The countdown to Christmas has officially begun…

and no cookie basket would be complete without gingerbread cookies! These gingerbread cookies are simple to make and leave the kitchen smelling ah-mazing. Decorate them with my go-to Meringue-Free Royal Icing or dust them with cinnamon and sugar. Let’s get baking!

TIPS FROM THE CHEF

I have discovered a few tips worth sharing to make perfect gingerbread cookies.

1. Chill the dough for two hours. Overnight would be better! This is a sticky dough and can be difficult to work with if the butter and molasses aren’t cold.
2. Use parchment paper to roll the dough out without adding excess flour.
3. to minimize the amount of times the roll is pressed back together and rolled out. I’ve noticed the cookies become a little bit tougher textured if the dough is continually worked.
4. I prefer my gingerbread cookies to have a bitey crisp edge with a soft and chewy center. Depending on the size of the cookie, I tend to bake them for the minimum amount of time recommended. For a crispier and firmer cookie, bake a few minutes longer, watching for brownness or burning along the edges.

INGREDIENTS GINGERBREAD COOKIES

• 12 Tablespoons butter (170 grams)
• ¾ Cup brown sugar packed (159 grams)
• ¾ Cup molasses (255 grams)
• 1 Teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
• 2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 Teaspoons ground ginger
• ¼ Teaspoon all spice
• 1 egg large
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• ½ Teaspoon baking soda
• 3 ¾ Cups All-Purpose flour (450 grams)

HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD COOKIES

prepare the wet ingredients

1. In the microwave or a saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices and mix well to combine. The mixture will be dark and smooth. It doesn’t need to simmer or boil.
2. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Whisk the egg into the cooled mixture. 

add the dry ingredients

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, whisk the baking powder, soda, and flour. Slowly pour the molasses mixture into the dry ingredients. Beat at a slow speed for about thirty seconds. The dough will be very pliable and sticky. Skip the temptation to add flour!
2. Divide the dough in half and form the dough into discs. Wrap the dough parchment paper and pop it in the refrigerator. Chill the dough overnight, or a minimum of two hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350° and line three cookie sheets with parchment paper. It is important to place the shaped cookies onto a cool or room temperature cookie sheet. If you don’t have enough sheets to alternate, make sure to allow the pan to cool completely in between batches.
4. The easiest way to roll out these cookies is by placing the refrigerated disc between two silpat mats or sheets of parchment paper. The dough is incredibly sticky and the barrier prevents tearing. Roll to ⅛ or ¼ inch thick. I prefer ¼ inch for gingerbread men or gingerbread houses. This is thick enough that they can be handled without easily breaking.
5. Place the shapes on the lined baking sheets, leaving about an inch between the cookies. Bake for about 9-12 minutes. The cookies will have tiny little popped air bubbles in their centers and the edges will firm. After about two minutes, slide the parchment paper off of the baking sheet and onto the counter. The cookies can cool on the parchment or be transferred to cooling racks. 
6. Store the cookies in air tight containers at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze immediately in freezer bags for up to three months. Decorate with royal icing.

HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS

As an amazon associate, this post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Keeping holiday baking frustration-free is a must. I’m going to share a few of my favorite products that make baking frustration free, well, nearly anyways, in my kitchen.

A KITCHEN AIDE STAND MIXER makes mixing stiff and dense cookie dough sooo much easier. My arms would be burning after the first few minutes, let alone creaming the butter and sugar for several minutes!

A high quality baking sheet will allow the cookies to bake evenly. I almost exclusively use airbake cookie sheets. They are double walled and have an air pocket in the middle that helps the cookies to all bake at the same rate. My favorite AIRBAKE COOKIE SHEET is a bargain. A pricier option would be these GOLDTOUCH COOKIE SHEET.

To save my sanity, and keep from washing extra dishes, I line my baking sheets. BULK PARCHMENT PAPER is disposable and nonstick, which allows the cookies to slide right off the paper and onto the cooling rack. I save money by buying a large (and relatively inexpensive) pack. The SILPAT MAT is reusable and reduces kitchen waste. I use silpat mats for small batch baking.

HOW TO FROST GINGERBREAD

Traditional gingerbread cookies are frosted with Royal Icing. Unfortunately for me, I rarely… or, NEVER…. have meringue powder, which is a necessary ingredient.

Never fear! I’ve got us covered.

This is my recipe for Meringue-Free Royal Icing. Save the recipe card image below to your phone or Pinterest board! It works incredibly well and tastes delicious.

I had some of this icing leftover after making the gingerbread cookies and I experimentally put it over my BEST CINNAMON ROLLS and it was delicious! Leftover Meringue-Free Royal Icing could be used in place of traditional vanilla icing, like drizzled over 20-MINUTE SOURDOUGH CREPES.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead

📖 Recipe