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These Gingerbread Cookies are soft and filled with warm spices and molasses. The cookies are easy to make and perfect for holiday cookie plates.
With the holidays approaching, I’m updating my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe with more tips to help you bake the best gingerbread cookies.
I’ve been making these gingerbread cookies for years. Over time, I’ve adapted the recipe to make it healthier, yet every bit as delicious. If you’re looking for the best gingerbread cookie recipe, you are going to love these soft gingerbread cookies!
The Best Gingerbread Cookies
- These cookies bake up soft and have lots of molasses and gingerbread spice flavor.
- The dough is easy to make, and you can refrigerate it for just 2 hours or up to 2 days before baking the cookies (great for make ahead holiday baking).
- Many times you can tell when a dessert recipe has been made healthier. With these cookies, you can’t.
- The cookies are fun to cut out and decorate with kids.
You can decorate your gingerbread cookies, or enjoy them plain. The gingerbread is so flavorful that the cookies are delicious without any frosting or decorations.
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies
Making the gingerbread cookie dough is quick and easy. First, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. The cookies are spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
Once the dry ingredients are combined, mix up the wet ingredients using an electric mixer. Start by mixing together softened butter and brown sugar until the mixture is light and creamy. Then add molasses, an egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed.
This dough requires chilling to help it roll out easily. Shape the dough into a round disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Put the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before you roll out the cookies.
Once the dough has chilled, you can roll it out on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. Bake as directed in the recipe card below.
How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
After baking, you can pipe icing or spread frosting onto these cookies. A simple piping of white icing will give you beautiful cookies.
You can make a simple white icing by combining powdered sugar with a small amount of milk or water. Start with just 1 tablespoon of milk or water per cup of powdered sugar, adding more milk by the teaspoon until you reach your desired consistency.
For a fun touch, you can use small candies, sprinkles or other food-safe cookie decorations to decorate the cookies before the frosting hardens. Another option is to press decorations such as small M and M’s, raisins, etc. onto the cookies before baking. This is how my kids and I usually decorate these cookies.
Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Tips
- This recipe calls for 1 cup each of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. You can instead use 2 cups of all-purpose flour or 2 cups of whole wheat flour. I prefer white whole wheat flour over regular whole wheat because it has a milder flavor and texture.
- Allow your butter to come to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature butter will incorporate into the dough more easily.
- This recipe calls for one egg yolk. To separate the egg yolk from the egg white, crack the egg in half, keeping it in the shell. Then, over the sink or a bowl, carefully transfer the yolk back and forth between the two egg shell halves, allowing the whites to fall out of the shell, until only the yolk remains.
- Chill the cookie dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it out or it will be too sticky. You can make the cookie dough ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- If you use different cookie cutters to make cookies of different sizes, be sure to bake cookies that are the same size together. Otherwise, smaller cookies may over-bake in the time that it takes larger cookies to bake.
- Allow gingerbread cookies to cool completely before icing.
For an extra delicious treat, enjoy these soft gingerbread cookies with a mug of gingerbread hot chocolate or gingerbread coffee.
More cookies for your holiday baking list:
- Molasses Spice Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies
Servings: 24 3-inch cookies
Prep Time: 25 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Chilling Time: 2 hours hrs
Total Time: 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
These are the best soft Gingerbread Cookies. They are easy to make and filled with warm spices, molasses and brown sugar. The cookies are fun to decorate, but also delicious enough to serve as is.
Print Recipe Leave a Review Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour, or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses, not blackstrap molasses
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes at medium speed, until light and creamy. Add the molasses, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined.
Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the flour mixture.
Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured work surface to ¼-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut cookies into desired shapes. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Re-roll scraps of dough until all dough has been used.
Baking time will vary depending on the size of your cookies. Medium gingerbread cookies bake for 9-10 minutes, and mini cookies bake for about 7 minutes. Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- This recipe calls for 1 cup each of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. You can instead use 2 cups of all-purpose flour or 2 cups of whole wheat flour.
- If you use different cookie cutters to make cookies of different sizes, be sure to bake cookies that are the same size together. Otherwise, smaller cookies may over-bake in the time that it takes larger cookies to bake.
- Allow gingerbread cookies to cool completely before icing. You can make a simple white icing by combining powdered sugar with a small amount of milk or water. Start with just 1 tablespoon of milk or water per cup of powdered sugar, adding more milk by the teaspoon until you reach your desired consistency.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 105kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 64mg, Potassium: 138mg, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 130IU, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 0.8mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.
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Dessert Recipes
posted by Kristine Rosenblatt on Nov 19, 2020
23 comments Leave a comment »
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23 comments on “Gingerbread Cookies”
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Bernardette Linwood — Reply
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I come from Malta and my hobby is cooking. I do not work and never did but raising three children was enough to keep me going. I enjoy all your recipes and tried some too. Everybody liked them. Have a happy holiday season to you and all your family,
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Kristine — Reply
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment, Bernardette! It makes me so happy to hear that you are enjoying my recipes. Raising three kids is a full-time job in itself! I wish you a very happy holiday season!
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Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice — Reply
I still can’t believe it’s already December! I’m maybe halfway done with my shopping, and hope to get more done today. These cookies look perfect, Kristine! Gingerbread always remind me of my Grandma, as she made them every year. Your healthier version sounds like the best sweet treat for the cookie dessert table!
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Kristine — Reply
Thank you, Gayle! Food memories are the best kind. 🙂
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Mary — Reply
I cannot believe it is almost Christmas! I love gingerbread and these look great!
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Kristine — Reply
Thank you, Mary! I can’t believe it either!
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Van — Reply
I’m really looking forward to trying your recipe this week now that my 3 kids are on school holidays! (Haven’t started Christmas shopping yet!!!) but will find time to bake these cookies. Priorities right??? ?? have a great Christmas xx
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Dom — Reply
Good recipe! It’s lighter without feeling like diet – almost like a shortbread cookie (we make ours thicker to be soft). Thanks for sharing!
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Kristine — Reply
I’m happy to hear you liked these Dom! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
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Cassandra — Reply
I made these and these are soo goooood! I have made up to like 35+ cookies but they were like around 2 inches. This is my first time making gingerbread cookies and it gave me a really good impression <3 definitely making more soon with this recipe after finishing the ones I have rn. I have eaten like 10 cookies already, I'm obsessed! Mine didn't really have a strong ginger flavor but I'm cool with that. I prefer gingerbread cookies with a hint of ginger and these were my taste! Thank you so much for this recipe.
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Kristine — Reply
Thank you for your comment, Cassandra! I’m happy to hear that you are enjoying this cookie recipe! 🙂
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Erica — Reply
Can I just use all purpose flour instead of both wheat and white flour? Does it make a difference?
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Kristine — Reply
Yes, you can use only all purpose if you like. I use part whole wheat to add nutritional value. I find that I don’t even notice the whole wheat taste in gingerbread baking. 🙂
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Stephanie Schieder — Reply
Are these stury enough to decorate or too soft? How many does this recipe make?
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Kristine — Reply
These cookies are a bit soft, but I don’t see why you couldn’t decorate them if they were laying on a plate or baking sheet. The recipe makes 2 dozen 3-inch cookies. The yield will vary based on your cookie cutter size.
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Deborah Testa Bodnar — Reply
can I freeze the dough to present to my niece with gingerbread boy cookie cutters. For how long can it be frozen?
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Kristine — Reply
I haven’t tried freezing this dough but suspect it would freeze well. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Put the dough in the refrigerator to thaw the night before you want to roll it out.
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Steve — Reply
Your gingerbread cookie recipe is delicious. My kids and I loved them. Out of curiosity, why do you say NOT to use Blackstrap Molasses? Thanks, Steve
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Kristine — Reply
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies! Blackstrap molasses can have a very strong bitter flavor and therefore it is not good for baking.
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Sue — Reply
Can I use 1/4 cup of butter?
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Kristine — Reply
Hi Sue, I recommend following the recipe as written. It may work with less butter, but I haven’t tested it that way. The dough may be dry if you use less butter.
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Lyndsey — Reply
Can you use this recipe to make a gingerbread house? Or would there be any recommended adjustments to be able to do so?
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Kristine — Reply
Hi Lyndsey, these cookies are fairly soft so may not hold up in a gingerbread house without support. You might seek out another recipe specifically for making gingerbread houses.
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