gingerbread cookie recipe

These Gingerbread cookies are made with a fraction of the butter – yet they still have the same great flavor and texture. This year I wanted to make them into Christmas trees. No cookie cutter required, all I used was a knife to cut them into triangles!

Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies

unsalted butter (softened)

brown sugar

applesauce

dark molasses

all-purpose flour

tsp baking soda

ginger

cinnamon

tsp allspice

cloves

tbsp egg whites (room temperature)

lemon juice

sugar

green food coloring

colored sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and applesauce until smooth. Add the egg and molasses, mix well.

In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices. Add to sugar and molasses mixture, stirring well with the mixer. Use your hands to form a large ball, the dough will be a little sticky.

Wash and dry your hands. Place flour on your hands so the dough doesn't stick to you, then divide the dough into two flat balls; cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

After the dough has chilled 2 hours, preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously dust the surface of your working area with flour before rolling out the dough. Work with one ball of dough at a time, keep the other refrigerated while you do so.

 Depending on how thin you roll the dough out and the size of your trees, makes at least 60 tree cookies.

Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness, sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough if it's a little sticky. Trim the uneven edges off to square the dough, then using a knife cut the dough into 3 1/2 inch

strips. Then cut the strips into triangles.

Place the cookies 1 or 2 inches apart on a silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.

For the cookies:

Mix the egg whites with lemon juice. Combine with powdered sugar, mixing well then add a few drops of green food coloring until you get the color you desire.

If the icing is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar, if it's too thick add a drop of lemon juice or water. Transfer to a piping bag to decorate cookies when cookies are cooled.

To decorate, pipe the cookies with the frosting one at a time, quickly adding the sprinkles before it hardens.

For the icing:

Looking for an easy gingerbread dessert recipe? This Caramel-Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe from Delish.com is the best.

Caramel-Gingerbread Cookie Bars

c. unsalted butter, softened

c. brown sugar

molasses

c. all-purpose flour

nutmeg

baking soda

kosher salt

c. unsalted butter,

c. sugar

tbsp. Caramel

Sprinkles

These easy Gingerbread Cookies are soft, chewy and full of holiday goodness! A classic Christmas cookie recipe that's perfect for decorating.

Best Gingerbread Cookies

(488 grams) all purpose flour

tsp baking powder

tsp salt

(168 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

tbsp (140 grams) packed dark brown sugar

tsp vanilla extract

(172 grams) unsulfured molasses

(173 grams) powdered sugar

water

tbsp corn syrup

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy. You should be able to see the change in color happen and know it’s ready.

. Add the egg and vanilla extract mix until well combined.

. Add the molasses and mix until well combined.

. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough is well combined. Dough will be thick.

. Divide the cookie dough into two equal parts, then roll each out to about 1/4 an inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. It helps to shape the cookie dough into a bit of a log and then roll it out.

. Transfer the parchment lined cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and into the freezer for about 6-8 minutes.

. Remove cookie dough from freezer and immediately cut into shapes. You&#8217;ll leave the cutouts on the parchment paper to bake them, so try to space them as they should be for baking with about an inch between each cookie.

0. While cookie dough is still cold, transfer the parchment paper/cookies onto a cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.

1. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, or until you can transfer them. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

2. Repeat process with remaining cookie dough.

3. When cookies are baked and you&#8217;re ready to decorate them, making the icing. Add the powdered sugar to a small-medium sized bowl, then add 1 tablespoon of water, the corn syrup and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined. It will be thick to start, just keep whisking together. Add additional water as needed, for it to come together. You want to be careful not to thin it out too much. You can always add more liquid, but you can&#8217;t remove it once you add it. You want the icing to just be drip-able (and therefore pipeable), but not so thin it won&#8217;t stay in place.

4. Add the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip (I used Wilton tip 3) and decorate your cookies. Add sprinkles or other decorations, if you&#8217;d like.

5. Allow cookies to dry, then store in an airtight container. If well sealed, cookies should be good for 5-7 days.

This is truly the best gingerbread cookie recipe! I love baking during the holiday season. I'm going to make these again for my work Christmas party =) Thank you Lindsay

This recipe made delicious soft gingerbread cookies. This will be my go to recipe every Christmas. I added some orange zest for an extra hint of freshness. Now to decorate!

Oh my goodness these are the best gingerbread cookies I’ve ever made thanks you so much!!

I'm an amateur baker. This is my second time baking gingerbread cookies, but my first time using this recipe. They came out perfect! The spice isn't overwhelming, and the cookie is soft and chewy just how I wanted! Both the recipe and video were very informative. To be honest, I forgot to freeze the dough before using my cookie cutter, but I didn't have any issues handling the dough at all, and they still turned out great. Thank you Lindsay for sharing this recipe!

Can I freeze the dough after making it for next day use?

Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect! I weighed my flour and brown sugar to be exact. Other recipes I have used are never flavorful enough. These are wonderful. So happy to find this recipe. Merry Christmas!

Made these cookies for the first time and they came out great! My daughters had a great time decorating them. This is a great way to spend with family together, and they taste great. Will make them again closer to Christmas for gift giving.

I made these cookies today and they are truly 5-star.  They are a beautiful color, well balanced ginger/spice flavor, and soft and chewy just as the described.  I have never made gingerbread cookies before and was worried about choosing the right recipe.  I chose 3 different recipes from Pinterest and analyzed the ingredients and instructions from each one.  The other 2 recipes called for more flour and less ginger, one recipe said to chill the dough 3 hours before rolling out.  One recipe cited many times in the comments that the dough was crumbly and the taste had a very strong molasses and clove flavor and neither of the other 2 recipes called for both baking powder and baking soda.  I’m so glad I chose this recipe by Lindsey, I followed the recipe exactly and made a few instructional changes that I will write into the recipe as I plan to make it my go-to Gingerbread recipe, it’s that good.  The cookies held their shape beautifully and they were a little crisp on the very edge but super soft and chewy throughout.  Can’t wait to decorate them.  The dough was soft and easy to roll, I did refrigerate it for about an hour only because I had to run a quick errand, but I let it come up to room temp and after 15-minutes it was easily ready to roll out.  I rolled the dough out on a Silpat silicone mat with parchment on top and used a rolling pin with 1/4” guides, it was the perfect thickness, and the key to transferring them to a cookie sheet is definitely place the silpat on a cookie sheet with the cutout dough in the freezer for 5-6 minutes before removing the cutouts from the excess dough.  I used an offset spatula to run under the cookies and they lifted off the silicone mat very easily, I was able to place them on parchment paper and bake them.  I baked them in a convection oven at 350 for exactly 8 minutes for the gingerbread men and 7 minutes for some of the smaller cutouts, snowflake, tree, star.  My family loves these cookies.  This recipe made 36 cookies, (12 gingerbread men, 24 slightly smaller shapes).  They are safely packed in an airtight tin can, wrapped in Saran and foil in the freezer to be decorated next Sunday.  I highly recommend this perfect Gingerbread Cookie recipe.  

I just made a recipe for something like molasses but I had to make half of  what it called for it  to equal what this recipe called for. Here is the link if you still need a substitute.    https://www.thespruceeats.com/molasses-substitute-1388891

I made these cookies for Christmas this year and gave them out to family.
They were fantastic.  Followed the recipe almost exactly using the weights given.
The only change I made was instead of nutmeg, I used allspice.
Dough was easy to work with and kept its shape well when baking.
I'll be making these again next year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK_mc6k17W8

These Gingerbread Cookies are soft, chewy and full of spices and molasses! They are simple to make and perfect for decorating!

Recipe: https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/best-gingerbread-cookies/

Gingerbread Cookies

These Soft Gingerbread Cookies are the best gingerbread cookies ever! They have crispy edges with soft and chewy centers and are perfectly spiced!  Plus they are so easy to make - no rolling or cutting-out necessary to enjoy this rich &amp; nostalgic gingerbread recipe! Roll them in sugar, add a simple gingerbread glaze or serve them plain!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

¾ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

sea salt

butter (softened)

brown sugar (packed)

TBS molasses

egg (room temperature)

tsp pure vanilla extract

TBS milk

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and sea salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add molasses, egg and vanilla and beat for 60-90 seconds or until mixture is smooth.

Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.

Transfer dough to an airtight container, place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Use a small cookie scoop to measure 1 ½ to 2 TBS portions of dough and roll them into balls.

Place on prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9-11 minutes in preheated oven until tops look just set. (See notes for baking tips)

Let the cookie sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool!

Enjoy!

Whisk together powdered sugar and 1 TBS milk.

Slowly add more milk if need (up to ½ TBS) until you reach a thick but pourable consistency.

Drizzle over cooled cookies. Let harden (either at room temperature or in the refrigerator).

Simple Glaze (Optional)

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/advb3dwqqcnptvtfkb2u

These Soft Gingerbread Cookies are the BEST gingerbread cookies ever! They have crispy edges with soft and chewy centers and are perfectly spiced!  Plus they are so easy to make - no rolling or cutting-out necessary to enjoy this rich & nostalgic gingerbread recipe! Add a drizzle of white chocolate or some cinnamon chips for an extra special twist!

Gingerbread Man Cookies are my favorite Christmas treat to decorate with my kids.&nbsp; &nbsp;These soft gingerbread cookies are perfect for preschool or kindergarten Christmas parties, and they taste delicious!

Gingerbread Man Cookies

dark brown sugar (, packed)

salt

Tablespoons butter (, room temperature, cut into 12 pieces)

molasses ((dark molasses))

Tablespoons milk

Tbs butter (, room temperature)

Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt to a&nbsp;mixing bowl and mix.

Add the butter pieces and use a pastry blender to cut the butter in until the mixture resembles fine meal.

With a mixer running on low speed gradually add the molasses and milk and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.

Divide the dough in half, forming each into a ball. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, or place in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until firm, if you’re in a hurry.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove one dough sheet from the fridge/freezer and place on the counter. Roll out the dough (use a little flour on your rolling pin if needed), until it’s about ½ inch thick. Cut gingerbread men and place them on prepared baking sheets.

Refrigerate the gingerbread men for 5 minutes (meanwhile you can roll out the other dough ball).

Bake the cookies until set in the centers and the dough barely retains and imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes (depending on the size of your cookie cutter). Do not overbake!!

Remove the cookies to a wire rack. Allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.

Store gingerbread cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Add butter, milk, and 1 cup of powdered sugar to a bowl.  Mix until smooth.  Add additional cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add frosting to piping bag if desired.

For the frosting:

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Xdgcg1Kq.mp4

Gingerbread Cookies are my favorite Christmas treat to decorate with my kids. They are soft and chewy and perfect for preschool or kindergarten Christmas parties. Everyone loves this classic recipe and they taste delicious!

This Classic Gingerbread Cookies recipe makes soft, sweet and lightly spiced cookies. It's the perfect cookie for shaping and decorating! We love making gingerbread men, Christmas trees and snowflakes, but really any shape would work!

Classic Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

butter (2 sticks), at room temperature (salted

white sugar (220 grams)

light or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap

white vinegar (22 grams)

all-purpose flour (785 grams)

baking soda (9 grams)

salt (3 grams)

ginger (3 grams)

cinnamon (2 grams)

cloves (3 grams)

Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about three minutes, using a hand mixer or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer. Scrape down the sides as few times as needed.

Add the egg, molasses, and vinegar. Beat to combine well. The mixture will look a bit curdled.

Add the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves to the bowl and mix to combine well. The dough should come together when you press it in your hands and shouldn't be crumbly. If anything it'll still be a little tacky to the touch. That's ok.

Divide the dough into two even pieces, wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 90 minutes. Don't skip this step, it helps the cookies to keep their shape.

When the dough is done chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Working in sections, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface; cut into desired shapes.

Place shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Gather and reroll "scraps" of dough as needed, using all of the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack.

Leave plain or decorate (here are 6 Simple Ways to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies if you are looking for some inspo).

These are THE best gingerbread cookies ever!!! Substituted apple cider vinegar since we were out of white vinegar, and like you mentioned in your notes, it didn't affect taste at all. Also, thanks for the tip about leaving the dough 1/2" thick if you like gingerbread soft. Ours turned out perfectly... perfectly soft,  but not tasting underbaked at all. They were SO delicious!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. We'll be making them every Christmas from now on!

When I made this recipe, it came out very crumbly and I’m not sure why. Not my favorite recipe :(

These are the best gingerbread cookies ever! My family looks forward to these every year!!! So soft and just the right amount of ginger! By far, best ever!

I really love this recipe but I feel like it’s missing the heat of a gingerbread cookie. I know this isn’t a ginger snap but I expected a little more spiciness. Overall though, it’s a delightful cookie! I love freezing them to enjoy later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYp14nKFedg

New to making gingerbread men cookies? This video is for YOU! 

Here's how to make the most delicious gingerbread around. They are soft, perfectly spiced, and hold their shape! This recipe has over 50 5-star reviews, seriously, read them. People LOVE this recipe as much as I do!

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature (salted or unsalted)
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg
1 cup light or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap or cooking molasses)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Print the full recipe here (or pin it for later):
https://www.blessthismessplease.com/soft-gingerbread-cut-out-cookies/

How to make the best ever Gingerbread Cookies!

Our BEST gingerbread cookie recipe! These festive treats are soft, warmly spiced, and full of delicious molasses flavor. Decorate with icing (see the tips in the post above for recipes), or enjoy plain.

unsalted butter (at room temperature)

dark brown sugar

unsulphured blackstrap molasses (we like the Wholesome brand)

vanilla extract

fine sea salt

almond milk (or any milk)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the molasses, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix again.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. Mix in the almond milk.

Form the dough into a ball, divide the ball in half, and flatten each half into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about ¼-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes, then transfer the cut-outs to the prepared baking sheets, re-rolling the dough scraps as necessary.

Bake, one sheet at a time, for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are just set but the middles are still soft. The cookies might seem underdone, but taking them out at this point will ensure that they stay soft once they cool. I typically use a 3-inch cookie cutter and bake my cookies for 8 minutes. The exact timing will depend on your oven, the size of your cookie cutters, and how soft or crunchy you like your gingerbread cookies.

Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Gingerbread is a staple when it comes to holiday treats. The warm spices and sweetness from blackstrap molasses bring a delightful addition to your Christmas cookie collection.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

cashew butter

maple syrup

¼ cup blackstrap molasses

coconut flour (or almond flour)

arrowroot starch,

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add in cashew butter, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, fresh ginger, egg, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground ginger and sea salt.

Use a tablespoon to measure out the dough for each cookie.

Remove from oven and dust cookies with arrowroot starch for added effect, if desired.

Nothing says the holidays like gingerbread cookies! Easy to make and quick to bake, these classic gingerbread cookies are a staple for any cookie exchange.

all-purpose flour (plus more for working dough)

dark brown sugar (packed)

milk

Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), add flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt. Mix gently to combine so that ingredients are very incorporated.

Set mixer speed to low and add in butter. Mix until butter is broken up and mixture appears crumbly, about 5-7 minutes.

Keeping speed on low, pour mix in molasses and milk, one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between. Dough is ready when ingredients appear fully incorporated and batter appears fluffy and shiny.

Divide dough in half. Place each piece of dough on a piece of parchment paper, then use your hands to mold the dough into an oval shape. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. See above video for example.

Chill dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator (or 20 minutes in the freezer).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside.

To cut cookies, prepare your work surface by dusting it with flour. Also coat your hands, cookie cutters, and rolling pin with flour, and set a bowl of flour nearby in case the dough begins to stick. When ready to work dough, remove one layer of parchment paper and lay the dough, exposed side down, on your prepared work surface. Remove the second piece of parchment paper and dust the exposed dough with flour. Use the rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness, then cut the dough with your floured cookie cutters. Arranged cut cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. When you have cut all the cookies you can from a roll of dough, collect the scraps, flour your surface and tools, and roll dough out again. If dough ever becomes too soft, repeat the step of flattening it between the parchment paper and place it back in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes. Repeat this step until all the dough is used or cookie sheets are full.

Bake cookies for 8-11 minutes or until cookies turn a deep golden color. If baking two cookie sheets at once, rotate baking sheets halfway through cooking time.

Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, decorate cookies as desired. Cookies can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

I made these over the weekend and they turned out perfectly! Definitely my new go to gingerbread recipe!

Top 11 gingerbread cookie recipe recipes from across the web

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Caramel-Gingerbread Cookie Bars

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Best Gingerbread Cookies

Best Gingerbread Cookies

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Man Cookies

Classic Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Gingerbread Cookies

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

Top 11 gingerbread cookie recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed gingerbread cookie recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies

Caramel-Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Best Gingerbread Cookies

Best Gingerbread Cookies

Best Gingerbread Cookies

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Man Cookies

Classic Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Gingerbread Cookies

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

The most viewed gingerbread cookie recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine