Description
This classic gingerbread cookie recipe produces soft, flavorful cookies perfect for holiday celebrations or year-round enjoyment. Made with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and sweetened with molasses and brown sugar, these cookies are easy to make and ideal for decorating with festive icing.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
- 2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses, or dark molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
For the Icing (Optional for Decoration):
Instructions
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and fine sea salt into a medium bowl to ensure even distribution of the spices and leavening.
- Cream Butter and Sweeteners: In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the room temperature unsalted butter, packed light brown sugar, and molasses until the mixture is light and fluffy, which takes about 2-3 minutes on medium to high speed. Then, add the large egg and beat for another minute until well incorporated.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Add the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on medium to low speed just until combined. The dough will be soft and moist, which is ideal for rolling.
- Chill the Dough: Transfer the soft dough onto a well-floured surface. If the dough is sticky, dust it with additional flour. Pat it into a disk, divide it into 3 equal pieces, flatten each into a disk, and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or up to 24 hours for convenience.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and position a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner for easy cleanup.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: On a well-floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Rotate the dough frequently to prevent sticking. Use a 4 to 5-inch cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Gather dough scraps, chill briefly if needed, and re-roll to cut more cookies.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange the cut-out cookies on the prepared baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges just begin to turn brown. Avoid over-baking to keep them soft. Remove cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.
- Decorate (Optional): For icing, stir together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more powdered sugar or milk. Transfer the icing to a piping bag or squeeze bottle and decorate cooled cookies. Allow icing to set before storing.
- Store Cookies: Keep the cooled and decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- To make the icing thicker, add more powdered sugar; to thin it, add more milk, a little at a time.
- Use piping bags and a variety of festive sprinkles for a fun cookie decorating party.
- Rolling the dough between sheets of parchment paper can prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
- If dough becomes too soft while rolling, refrigerate briefly to firm it up.
- Soft cookies are preferred; watch baking time closely to avoid over-baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
