Soft Gingerbread Cookies: Easy Christmas Recipe with Warm Spices

By : Moiz Blogger | 0 Comments | On : 20/10/2026 | Category : Christmas Recipes

Delicate gingerbread cookies convey the nice and cozy aroma of ginger, cinnamon and molasses to vacation baking. This Christmas gingerbread cookie recipe makes a dough that may be rolled, reduce into shapes and embellished after cooling. Chilling is crucial: it helps the shapes maintain their edges within the oven.

Recipe at a look

Prep: 20 minutes | Chill: at the least 2 hours | Bake: 8–11 minutes per tray | Yield: roughly 24 medium cookies, relying on cutter measurement.

Elements

• 350 g (about 2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons floor ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons floor cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon floor cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon fantastic salt
• 115 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 110 g (1/2 cup packed) mild brown sugar
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap
• 1 giant egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

make gingerbread cookies

1. Mix dry components. Whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Beat softened butter and brown sugar till blended and barely fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add moist components. Beat in molasses, egg and vanilla till easy, scraping the bowl as wanted.
4. Kind the dough. Add the dry components in two batches, mixing on low velocity simply till no flour streaks stay. The dough might really feel mushy.
5. Chill. Divide into two discs, wrap and refrigerate for at the least 2 hours, till agency sufficient to roll.
6. Roll and reduce. Warmth the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line baking trays with parchment. On a evenly floured floor, roll one chilled disc to about 6 mm (1/4 inch) thick and reduce into shapes.
7. Bake. House cookies about 3 cm aside. Bake for 8–11 minutes; smaller shapes might end sooner. The perimeters ought to look set, whereas facilities stay barely mushy.
8. Cool. Go away on the tray for five minutes, then transfer to a rack. Beautify solely when utterly cool.

preserve gingerbread cookies mushy

For mushy facilities, roll the dough evenly and keep away from baking till all the cookie feels agency; cookies proceed to set whereas cooling. Preserve similar-size shapes on the identical tray so that they bake on the similar charge. If the dough turns into sticky whereas chopping, refrigerate it for 10–quarter-hour earlier than persevering with.

Easy adorning concepts

Use a thick icing made with powdered sugar and a bit milk or lemon juice, including liquid a teaspoon at a time. Pipe outlines or dots as soon as the cookies have cooled. For a much less candy end, go away them plain and mud evenly with powdered sugar.

Storage and make-ahead suggestions

Preserve totally cooled cookies in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 4 days for finest texture. Refrigerate wrapped dough for as much as 2 days earlier than rolling. You possibly can freeze tightly wrapped dough for as much as 2 months; thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than utilizing.

Steadily requested questions

Why do gingerbread cookies unfold?

Heat dough and overly mushy butter can encourage spreading. Chill the dough totally and place reduce shapes on cool baking trays.

Can I make gingerbread cookies with out molasses?

Molasses supplies their attribute taste and moisture. Changing it adjustments each texture and style, so this recipe is finest made with unsulphured molasses.

How thick ought to I roll gingerbread cookies?

About 6 mm (1/4 inch) produces cookies with a young center and outlined edges. Thinner cookies are likely to bake crisper.

Can kids assist adorn?

Sure. As soon as the cookies are totally cooled, adorning with icing and sprinkles is an easy supervised vacation exercise.

Recipe notes

This authentic editorial recipe has not been represented as independently kitchen-tested. Ovens, cookie-cutter sizes and flour measurement strategies differ, so use the visible doneness cues in addition to the baking time.

Featured {photograph} is illustrative; photograph credit score: Michele Purin / Unsplash.