Gingerbread Cookies (VIDEO)

These are my favorite Gingerbread Cookies! They are so easy to make and such a fun Christmas and holiday tradition, especially when everyone gets to decorate their cookies. They are soft in the center, crisp at the edges, and flavored with warm winter spices and molasses. P.S. You’ll love the 3-ingredient icing.

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Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Every year at Christmastime, we have a tradition of decorating gingerbread houses, but last year, I decided to change things up and bring Gingerbread cookies to decorate. Honestly, some of the decorations were hilarious, and the kids and adults had so much fun with them. By the end of the night, the table was covered with sprinkles, but sweet memories were made.

Similar to our Christmas Sugar Cookies, these gingerbread cookies are easy to make and decorate, while still chewy and delicious to eat. You will love decorating with our easy gingerbread cookie icing recipe (included below) using only three pantry staples, but you can easily use store-bought icing to save time.

Ingredients for Gingerbread Cookies

The best gingerbread cookies are made with ingredients you probably already have in the pantry.

• Flour – we recommend unbleached all-purpose flour for a deeper color and stronger texture
• Spices – Ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are the perfect blend of warm spices.
• Baking soda – helps the cookie rise slightly for a chewy texture
• Butter – room temperature and unsalted so it mixes in easily
• Brown sugar – sweetens the cookies and adds more color
• Molasses – Use unsulphured molasses (You can read more on the types of molasses). Molasses gives a caramel-like depth of flavor and a chewy texture.
• Egg – at room temperature

Ingredients for Cookie Icing

• Powdered Sugar – Sweetens and thickens the icing
• Milk – makes the icing creamy. You can use any milk, even a dairy-free alternative, and add it to your desired consistency.
• Vanilla extract – flavors the icing perfectly
• Sprinkles in a variety of holiday colors and shapes to decorate

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

Make these classic gingerbread cookies with these easy-to-follow steps:

• Sift dry ingredients (flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt) into a medium bowl. Using a fine mesh sieve to sift helps eliminate clumps.
• Beat wet ingredients (butter, sugar, and molasses) in the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer on medium/high speed for about 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the egg to the wet ingredients and beat for 1 minute until incorporated.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Then, beat on medium speed until combined and the dough is soft.

4. Transfer the dough from the bowl to a well-floured surface. If it’s too sticky, dust the top with flour, and then divide it into three pieces. Pat each piece into a disk shape, and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator until the dough is firm for about an hour, or up to 24 hours before baking.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees when ready to cut the cookies and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface until it is 1/4” thick, working one disk at a time (keep the rest refrigerated). Be sure to rotate the dough as you roll to prevent sticking, and then cut out shapes using 4-5-inch cookie cutters. Gather the scraps to re-roll.
7. Place cut-out cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1” apart, and bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges start to brown, then move cookies to cooling racks. Repeat rolling and baking the remaining dough. I usually bake one sheet of cookies while I roll out the dough for the second batch. If you want to bake 2 sheets at once, put the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

How do I know gingerbread cookies are done?

For a chewy cookie, be sure not to overcook. They should be slightly puffy and barely browned at the edges, and matte (not wet-looking). Bigger cookie dough cutters will need more time than smaller cutters.

How to make Cookie Icing:

It’s so easy and inexpensive to make your own cookie icing and just 3 ingredients. I made this for the kid’s cookie decorating party and divided the glaze among several sealed small zip-top bags. It kept well for hours without drying out.

How To: In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 2-3 Tbsp milk, and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. Thicken by adding more powdered sugar, or thin by adding more milk. Pour it into a piping bag. If you prefer, you can buy pre-made cookie icing.

How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies

It’s easy to decorate this gingerbread cookie recipe using the icing recipe for the holidays. You could even host a gingerbread cookie decorating party. Here are a few ideas:

• Rimmed paper plates – place a cookie on each plate to catch all the mess
• Icing – After mixing the icing, fill small zip-top bags or piping bags with icing. You can even add a few drops of food coloring.
• Powdered Sugar – As a quick alternative, dust the top of the cookie with confectioner sugar
• Decorations – sprinkle and place red hot candies, sprinkles, colored sugar, or nonpareils to the icing. Don’t forget the gumdrop buttons!
• Let them Set – Allow the decorated cookies to dry completely before stacking.

Our classic gingerbread cookie recipe is the perfect way to celebrate the holidays. In fact, we’re positive these buttery, spiced cookies will quickly become your favorite family tradition.

More Holiday Cookies and Treats

If you love this gingerbread cookie recipe, check out these other delicious holiday treats.

• Thumbprint Cookies
• Almond Snowball Cookies
• Pecan Bars
• Candied Pecans
• Cranberry Bread
• Russian Tea Cakes
• Baklava