Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Calories: 8
Adjust Servings Here: 24 cookies
Description
Learn how to make the best, softest, and most delicious gingerbread cookies. I'll share my best recipe and give you all sorts of tips, tricks, and ideas to decorate them. These do not spread, so you will have perfectly shaped cookies to add to you your holiday platter.
Ingredients
18 large cookies - 24 medium or 36 smaller cookies
- 3¼ cups (400 g) All-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp Baking soda
- 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Cloves
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg freshly grated
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) Butter unsalted, room temperature
- ¾ cup (165 g) Dark brown sugar packed
- ½ cup (170 g) Molasses (unsulfered) light or dark
- 1 large Egg
- ¼ tsp Orange extract (or 1 tsp orange zest)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Icing
- 2 cups (240 g) Powdered sugar
- 2 - 4 tbsp Milk
- ¼ tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep - To start, gather all your ingredients before diving into the baking process. You’ll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, unsalted butter, brown sugar, molasses, an egg, and vanilla extract. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in creating your gingerbread cookies' unique taste and texture.
- Dry ingredients - Next, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl. This mixture will provide the base flavors of gingerbread cookies, giving them a distinctively warm and aromatic taste.3¼ cups All-purpose flour , ¾ tsp Baking soda, 1 tbsp Ground Ginger, 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon , 1 tsp Ground Cloves, ¼ tsp Nutmeg, ½ tsp Salt
- Wet ingredients - In a separate large bowl, cream together the unsalted butter and brown sugar. This step incorporates air into the mixture, producing a lighter and fluffier cookie. Once the butter and sugar are well combined, add in the molasses, egg, orange, and vanilla extract. Mix everything thoroughly until the wet ingredients are fully incorporated.¾ cup Butter, ¾ cup Dark brown sugar, ½ cup Molasses (unsulfered), 1 large Egg , ¼ tsp Orange extract, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Dry to wet - Now, it’s time to gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Pour in the dry mixture gradually, mixing well after each addition. This ensures that all the ingredients are evenly distributed and prevents clumps from forming.
- Chill - After fully mixing the dough, cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. The chilling process allows the flavors to meld together and makes the dough easier to handle when it’s time to shape the cookies.Pro tip - Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.
- Shape - Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to your desired thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out various shapes, and carefully transfer them onto your prepared baking sheets. Leave enough space between the cookies to allow for spreading during baking.
- Bake - Preheat the oven to 177°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until they are lightly golden brown around the edges. Keep a close eye on them to prevent overbaking, as this can result in a drier texture.
- Cool - Once the cookies are done baking, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will firm up slightly as they cool and develop their signature soft and chewy texture.
- Icing for cookies – Combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until you have a smooth piping consistency.Pro tip – This is a simple eggless frosting. But you can also ice these cookies with royal icing or other flavored frostings.2 cups Powdered sugar, 2 - 4 tbsp Milk, ¼ tsp Vanilla extract
- Frost the cookies – Add the icing to a piping bag with a small round piping tip like a number 2 or 3. Pipe as desired or keep it simple as I have in the video.Pro tip – Put the icing in a ziplock bag and cut a small snip at the end.
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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