Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Name: Gingerbread Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 270 min
Ingredients: 3¼ cups All-purpose flour; 6 oz Butter (unsalted, room temperature); ¾ cup Dark brown sugar (packed); ½ cup Molasses (light or dark); 1 Egg (large); ¼ tsp Salt; 1 tbsp Ground Ginger; 1 tbsp Cinnamon Powder; ½ tsp Ground Cloves; ¼ tsp Nutmeg; ¼ tsp Orange extract (optional); 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 2 cups Powdered sugar; 2 - 4 tbsp Milk; ¼ tsp Vanilla extract; ¼ cup Dragees

Recipe Video Print

These no-spread gingerbread cookies are the best addition to your holiday cookies. Made with molasses and spices like ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In addition, the cookie dough is easy to work with. So, they make the perfect activity for kids during the holidays.

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Run run as fast as you can - you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man.....! My son's favorite line and favorite cookies. I have never decorated gingerbread cookies on my own. As a kid, with mom, or now as a mom with my kids. And, yes, they will never turn out perfect. And yet, the kids have fun every single time.

About these cookies

This recipe is soft and sweet, with the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. My kids always have a gingerbread cookie with milk. In fact, Rhea loves to dunk her cookie in the milk and eat it.

Firstly, don't be afraid to play with the flavors when it comes to this gingerbread cookies recipe. It's quite adaptable.

Orange - Orange is a good flavor that blends well with ginger and cinnamon. I have tasted orange flavor gingerbread in the US and it was lovely.
Ginger, Cinnamon & Cloves - A good blend of spices, but you can go less or more. For instance, when the kids were small I use to use half the amount mentioned in the recipe.
Garam masala - Sounds weird, but I love garam masala flavored gingerbread cookies. Just replace all the spices in the recipe with 1 tsp of garam masala.

How do you decorate gingerbread cookies?

There is so much you can do in terms of decorations. And yet, often less is more. For example, try sprinkling some caster sugar, using chocolate chips, royal icing outline, or candy gems - whatever you fancy.

And, if you are decorating with kids, just leave the decorations for the kids and watch their creativity take over.

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Ingredients and substitutes

Butter - I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of butter in the recipe. Having said that, if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe.
Brown sugar - The molasses in the brown sugar contributes to the soft texture. And, you can also add dark brown sugar as well but the cookies will also get deeper in color.
Molasses - Is a rich, dark, thick brown slightly sweet syrup left after the sugar has been removed from the juice. And, you can find it in the baking aisle or baking supply store.
Spices - I've used the classic ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. However, you can also use a gingerbread spice mix or pumpkin spice mix.

A gingerbread cookie in a glass of milk. — No-spread cookies, Gingerbread, Do not spread, Cookie Recipe

Step by step instructions (pin)

In the bowl, combine the flour and spices - cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and egg
Followed by the flour. Divide the dough into two, wrap in plastic wrap, and let chill until firm enough to roll - about 2 hours or overnight.
Tip - the dough is soft and needs to refrigerated, so avoid adding more flour.
Once chilled, roll the dough to about ⅛ inch thick. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter. Re-roll the leftover dough and make more cookies.
Tip - I use a rolling pin with spacers so the dough is the same thickness all over
Place the cookies on a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the cookies in the fridge to chill for another 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven at 350 F or 170 C
Decorate the cookies before baking (or after baking). You can add sprinkles or dragees to the cookies just before baking.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden.
Cool - Once baked cool on the cookie sheet for 10 mins then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Decorating after baking - Combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until you have a smooth piping consistency.
Add the icing to a piping bag with a small round piping tip like a number 2 or 3. Alternatively, you can also put the icing in a ziplock bag and cut a small snip at the end.
Decorate as desired. Let the icing dry properly before you stack the cookies and store them in an airtight cookie jar.
These cookies will stay good for a week

Frequently asked questions

How long will these gingerbread cookies keep?

If stored properly, in a cookie box, these will stay fresh for a week. Place cookies in a cookie jar or airtight container to prevent them from going soft.

Can I freeze the gingerbread cookie dough?

Yes, you can freeze the dough wrapped well in a ziplock bag. Then, thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use.
And, you can also freeze the rolled cookies on a cookie sheet between parchment papers. In addition, wrap the tray in plastic to prevent drying out.
Alternatively, freeze the baked cookies between parchment papers and thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use.

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft?

The molasses and brown sugar in the gingerbread cookie dough is what keeps the cookies soft. And, a good gingerbread cookie should have an easy give, a little elastic and crumble when you bite into it.

Can I decorate gingerbread cookies with royal icing?

You can draw a royal icing border or outline on these cookies as decoration. But, do not flood these cookies with royal icing. Since, they are soft so the royal icing will be heavy over these cookies.
However, I do have a gingerbread sugar cookie that works perfectly to flood with royal icing.

How do I know when I gingerbread cookies are cooked?

A typical gingerbread cookie will take between 8 to 10 minutes. The outside of the cookies will have a slight color. And, the cookie will be set when you touch with your finger. Also, always, take into account that the cookies will continue to cook on the hot baking pan even after you take it off the oven.

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