Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies are the perfect Christmas cookie! This easy gingerbread cookie recipe is the perfect gingerbread gingerbread cut out cookies recipe and works perfect for making gingerbread men, gingerbread ladies and even gingerbread Christmas trees!
Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Tis the season for indulging in all of your favorite sweet treats! I still can remember the smell of the warm holiday spices as they waft down the hallway from our kitchen when I was a kid. Now I like to share that amazing smell with my children and of course enjoy eating them when we are done making them!
This recipe for gingerbread cookies is one of my favorites to make each Holiday season because you end up with these soft chewy gingerbread cookies that taste as good as they look! Soft cookies are my favorite, and when I am making holiday cookies it is very important to me that my cookies are soft and perfectly chewy.
Looking for more Christmas Cookie recipes? Check these out!
- Snowman Poop Cookies
- Cherry Chocolate Chip cookies
- Homemade Sugar cookies
- Peppermint Meringue Cookies
- No spread Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Reindeer Poop Christmas Cookies
- Chocolate Crackle Cookies
- Peanut Blossom Cookies
- Elf Cookies
- Chocolate Covered Peppermint Oreos
What Spices are in Gingerbread Cookies?
It is that great combination of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger which always seem to have a way of making the house smell like a home during the holidays.
What Icing for Gingerbread Cookies?
If you are the cookie decorating type then the best frosting to use is royal icing. It is super easy to make and use. Be sure you read everything you need to know about making royal icing and for the best royal icing recipe.
How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
I suggest using a pastry bag to decorate the gingerbread cookies and a small hole straight piping tip.
These easy gingerbread cookies taste amazing without any frosting if you are not the cookie decorating type. If you are going to decorate them, be sure you let them cool completely, once the cookies are cool start decorating them.
If you are wanting to add things like sprinkles, M&Ms, candies ect then you will want to add the cookie decorations on the cookies while the icing is still wet.
How to store gingerbread cookies
After baking gingerbread cookies they are easy to store. Just let the frosting if you have decorated them harden and then store in an airtight container.
To keep these gingerbread cookies a soft and chewy cookies, store them in a zipper-lock plastic bag at room temperature with half a slice of bread in the bag and the bag sealed tight with the air squeezed out.
Gingerbread cookies will last for 2-3 weeks when stored properly. You can store fresh made gingerbread cookies in the fridge in an airtight container to extend the shelf life.
How to Freeze Gingerbread Cookies
One of the great things about these cookies is that you can make them ahead of time and freeze them and then defrost them when you are wanting to decorate them.
After you have baked and cooled the gingerbread cookies, lay them flat on a room temperature baking sheet in a single layer, then place a piece of parchment paper on top of them and another layer of cookies and do this until all of the cookies are on the tray that you want to put on it.
Place cookies in the freezer for 2 hours, be sure they are fully frozen before removing them from the tray. Remove the cookies from the tray and stack them and place them in a freezer bag. Place the freezer bag evenly in the freezer.
Gingerbread cookies will last for 6-8 months in the freezer.
Tips for Making the BEST Gingerbread Cookies
To get the perfect soft and chewy gingerbread cookie texture it means working with dough that is stickier then most cookie doughs. Gingerbread cookie dough is very sticky and it can be hard to work with if you do not pay attention to these tips I’m sharing with you.
But please do not let that deter you from making these homemade gingerbread cookies. Even if your cookies end up looking like blobs, which has happened to the kids a few times, they will still taste AMAZING!
Use parchment paper to roll gingerbread cookie dough.
When you are rolling out the dough you really want to roll it out in between two layers of parchment paper. If you do not own parchment paper and really recommend you keeping some of the house because it is a great baking medium.
If not you can work in smaller batches and roll it out in between two Ziploc bags. The reason for this is so you don’t have to keep adding extra flour which makes the dough hard and tough.
Cold gingerbread cookie dough.
Making sure you work with your dough while it’s still cold. The dough needs to be cold before baking in order to get that perfect soft and chewy gingerbread cookie we all love.
Making gingerbread Cookies with kids
If you’re making these chewy gingerbread cookies with little kids I suggest you make them in small batches at a time when you’re rolling them out so the kids have time to cut out the shapes they would like.
The first time I made these with my daughter I made the mistake of only dividing the dough in half and when it came time to trying to remove her chewy gingerbread cookies from her paper they just turned into a pile of mush. So now when I make these cookies I divide them into four equal parts and roll out four separate sheets. My daughter gets her own sheet but I helped her quickly move her shapes onto the sheet pan. If you have kids I suggest giving them smaller batches of cold gingerbread cookie dough to work with.
If you have adults making the soft gingerbread cookies they tend to move faster, but when you are making them with kids it is important to remember they move slower then adults when making cookies.
Why do you chill gingerbread dough before baking?
Chilling gingerbread cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookie. When you are baking chilled dough it takes longer for the butter in the dough to melt, which prevents the cookies from spreading.
Gingerbread Cookies Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 10 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon milk
How to make Gingerbread Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer cream together on medium speed the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Turn your mixer down to low and stir in the yolk and vanilla extract. Stir in the molasses and milk just until combined.
Slowly stir in the flour mixture into the butter mixture, just stirring until combined. Make sure you do not overmix the dough.
Lay out two sheets of parchment paper on the counter (or table) and divide the gingerbread cookie dough in half and place each half onto a sheet of parchment.
Place a piece of parchment paper on top of each cookie dough pile.
Using a rolling pin, roll the gingerbread dough out in between the paper until the dough is 1/4 of an inch thick.
Place the dough onto sheet pans and put them in the freezer for 15-30 minutes or until cold and firm.
Working with one sheet of gingerbread cookie dough at a time cut out your shapes.
With a thin spatula remove the shapes from the parchment and place them on your cookie sheet leaving an inch gap between the cookies.
Once you have made your first set of cut outs, reroll any extra dough and place the gingerbread cookie dough back in the fridge for 5 minutes or so and then use cookie cutters to cut out more shapes. Continue until you have used all the cookie dough up.
If needed you can bake the cookies as you put the gingerbread cut outs on a tray and fill it.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until firm around the outside of the cookie.
Let them cool for 5 minutes on the sheet pan then transfer onto a cooling rack.
More Tasty Holiday Treats!
- Easy Christmas Brownies
- Christmas Tree Oreos
- Pinecone Cheeseball
- Grinch Fruit Kabobs
- Santa hat cupcakes
- Santa Cinnamon Rolls
Want delicious cookies that come out perfect every time? Check out some of our favorite tools to make super easy cookies with fun decorations!
Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookie
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 10 tablespoon butter softened
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer cream together on medium speed the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Turn your mixer down to low and stir in the yolk and vanilla extract. Stir in the molasses and milk just until combined.
- Slowly stir in the flour mixture into the butter mixture, just stirring until combined. Make sure you do not overmix the dough.
- Lay out two sheets of parchment paper on the counter (or table) and divide the gingerbread cookie dough in half and place each half onto a sheet of parchment.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on top of each cookie dough pile.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the gingerbread dough out in between the paper until the dough is 1/4 of an inch thick.
- Place the dough onto sheet pans and put them in the freezer for 15-30 minutes or until cold and firm.
- Working with one sheet of gingerbread cookie dough at a time cut out your shapes.
- With a thin spatula remove the shapes from the parchment and place them on your cookie sheet leaving an inch gap between the cookies.
- Once you have made your first set of cut outs, reroll any extra dough and place the gingerbread cookie dough back in the fridge for 5 minutes or so and then use cookie cutters to cut out more shapes. Continue until you have used all the cookie dough up.
- If needed you can bake the cookies as you put the gingerbread cut outs on a tray and fill it.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until firm around the outside of the cookie.
- Let them cool for 5 minutes on the sheet pan then transfer onto a cooling rack.
4 Weight Watchers SmartPoints before royal icing.
We have a lot of tasty Christmas cookie recipes, so make sure you check out the 12 days of Christmas cookies and the Best Christmas Cookie Recipes. Looking for more Christmas fun? Check out these Christmas Treats kids will love and Fun Kids Christmas crafts!
Comments & Reviews
Bel says
Approximately how many cookies will this recipe make?