Gingerbread Cookies That Do Not Spread
These traditional gingerbread cookies are the best treats and activity for kids, especially during play dates. Watch my son in the video below. They taste absolutely delicious on their own. Also, they have a warm mix of spices, including ginger, and cinnamon, and a beautiful color from the molasses. And they make perfect goody bags for Christmas, Halloween or Easter!!
Traditional Gingerbread Cookies always the best
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. The BEST part about these cookies is that they do not spread!! They hold their shape well so you can decorate them beautifully.
Traditional Gingerbread Cookies Recipe for Kids
Working with Kids
I have never decorated gingerbread cookies on my own, as a kid with mom, or now as a mom. They will never turn out perfect. And yet, the kids have fun every single time. This is my kids’ favorite gingerbread cookies recipe, soft and sweet, with the warm spices of cinnamon and ginger. Sometimes I even add garam masala (garam masala is a beautiful blend of Indian spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star-anise). My kids always have gingerbread cookie with milk. In fact, Rhea loves to dunk her cookie in the milk and eat it.
This is my Rhea’s – She loves her pink and purples
Flavors for Gingerbread Cookies (Pin/Save here)
Don’t be afraid to play with the flavors when it comes to this gingerbread cookies recipe. It’s quite adaptable.
Orange – Orange is another good flavor that blends well with ginger and cinnamon. We do not like orange. And yet, 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. 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.
Decorations – Caster sugar, chocolate chips, royal icing, candy gems – whatever you fancy. Just leave them out for the kids and watch their creativity take over.
Traditional Gingerbread Cookies Recipe especially for kids
Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies – That Do Not Spread
(Click here to Save/Pin to recipe board for later)
Useful Tips and Tools
- I’m not a slave to mixers. And yet, when you need some good creaming I have to insist that you use the K-Mix or Kitchen Aid.
- A good baking tray is always important. So, try using a light colored baking trayBaking tray. Another option is to line the baking tray with Parchment Paper.
- If you aren’t going to fill or decorate these cookies a regular rolling pin will work just fine. And yet, a Cookie rolling pin has the side spacers that will also help you with rolling. So all your cookies are leveled and bake evenly.
- Also, it is really important to cool cookies completely on all sides as soon as they come out of the oven. So take them off the baking tray to prevent them cooking further and place them on a Cooking rack so they air circulates on all sides. This prevents steam from going back into the cookie thus…… keeping them crispy not soggy.
- Always bake cookies on the center rack of your Oven. And if you have more than one tray simply bake them one at a time. You can bake two trays at the same time, and yet this can lead to some of the cookies in the bottom tray spreading too much. Also, you can rotate the trays during the baking. This is helpful with some cookies.
- Most cookies usually bake between 10 to 12 minutes. Since cookies bake quickly they can also get over-baked. This is due to our tendency to get distracted at the last minute. Hence, my solution is a kitchen timer that is always set to 10 minutes. I turn it on as soon as I place the cookies in the oven. This has saved me many cookies since my kids always keep me busy.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – 250 grams
- Butter – 113 grams (1 stick)
- Packed brown sugar – 120 grams (1/2 cup packed)
- Molasses – 1/2 cup (light or dark)
- Egg – 1 large
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Ground ginger – 1 1/2 tsp
- Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp
- Ground cloves – 1/2 tsp ground
- Vanilla – 1 tsp
- Orange extract (optional)
Method
- Have all your ingredients ready.
- Add the warm spices to the flour – cloves, cinnamon, ginger, salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the molasses and egg.
- Next goes in the flour mix.
- Form the dough. The dough will be sticky to handle.
- Divide into two, wrap in plastic/cling wrap and chill for a couple of hours.
- Once chilled the dough can be rolled and cut just as you do your sugar cookies. (watch the video above).
- Cut them with the gingerbread cookies cutters and place on a baking tray.
- You can add decorations to these now before you bake them.
- I usually prefer to chill my cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170 C/340 F for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Cool on a cooling rack.
Here is my video on YouTube for those of you that can’t watch the one above.
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Gingerbread Cookies that do not spread
I love the large ones… So cute..!!
Traditional Gingerbread Cookies Recipe especially for kids
Storage
Store them in a cookie box – they stay fresh for up to two weeks. Ours barely ever go over a week!!
Traditional Gingerbread Cookies Recipe especially for kids
Gingerbread Cookies that Do NOT SPREAD
Ingredients
- 250 grams All-purpose flour
- 113 grams Butter
- 120 grams Packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Molasses light or dark
- 1 Egg large
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Cinnamon Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- Orange extract optional
Instructions
- Have all your ingredients ready.
- Add the warm spices to the flour - cloves, cinnamon, ginger, salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the molasses and egg.
- Next goes in the flour mix.
- Form the dough. The dough will be sticky to handle.
- Divide into two, wrap in plastic/cling wrap and chill for a couple of hours.
- Once chilled the dough can be rolled and cut just as you do your sugar cookies. (watch the video above)
- Cut them with the gingerbread cookies cutters and place on a baking tray.
- You can add decorations to these now before you bake them.
- I usually prefer to chill my cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170 C/340 F for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Cool on a cooling rack.
Nutrition Information
My Aadi loves decorating these – he used pink ones for Rhea’s cookies – Such a sweet brother – isn’t he?
Love Cookies? Me too! You may like to check out some of my other cookie recipes. Or Click here to see a Recipe Index of all recipes on my blog.
Meg @ With Salt and Wit
These are so cute! I need to get to baking some up!
Veena Azmanov
Thanks Meg.. I hope you enjoy making them
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
YUM- I’ve only ever eaten store-bought gingerbread and these sound so much better!
Veena Azmanov
Oh you must make these at home Sarah. The taste of freshness in these will have you hooked.
Mary
What cute cookies! The decorating looks like so much fun!
Veena Azmanov
It sure is so much fun. This has got to be the best kids involved project for me.
Platter Talk
Great suggestions on the flavors that gingerbread can handle. We love making these little guys every year!
Veena Azmanov
Yeah.. my kids too Dan.. They love making these.. especially with the story and Shrek Movies.
Amy
I totally agree that it is so fun to do gingerbread with kids. I really love that you recommend adding garam masala! It’s one of my favorite things but I have never thought to add it to gingerbread! I’m going to have to give it a try!
Veena Azmanov
That you Amy.. Garam Masala is a beautiful blend of warm spices.. so it does actually work well.