Gingerbread Cookies
These classic Gingerbread Cookies are soft, warmly spiced, and full of holiday cheer. Made with molasses, brown sugar, and fragrant spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, they bake up perfectly chewy and hold their shape for decorating. Whether you’re cutting them into festive shapes or making a gingerbread house, this timeless recipe brings the taste and aroma of Christmas right to your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ⅔ cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
For decoration (optional):
- Royal icing
- Sprinkles or sanding sugar
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients: Mix in molasses and egg until fully combined.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Form dough: Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a thick dough forms.
- Chill: Divide the dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Roll and cut: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes.
- Bake: Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 8–10 minutes, until edges are set.
- Cool and decorate: Let cookies cool completely before decorating with icing or sprinkles.
Notes
- For softer cookies, bake just until the edges are firm and the centers are still slightly soft.
- Add a touch of black pepper for a subtle spice kick.
- The dough can be made ahead — refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- Royal icing hardens beautifully for decorating and packaging.