Gingerbread Cookies

Hey, let’s talk about gingerbread.

For me, it’s one of the best parts of the holidays. The smell of ginger, cinnamon, and molasses…it just takes me back to being a kid. Now, the gingerbread we know and love today has a long history. It goes all the way back to medieval Europe, where it was a staple at fairs and festivals.

When I was a kid, a lot of gingerbread cookies were hard. They were the kind you had to dunk in milk so they wouldn’t break your teeth. I wanted to make a cookie that was soft and chewy, not the brittle kind. So I created this recipe. It’s easy, straightforward, and makes a cookie you just want to curl up on the couch with.

Ready to get baking?

A Quick Look at the Recipe

This recipe is simple, forgiving, and you’ll get great results every time.

The good news? The total time is only about 45 minutes, with just 15 minutes of hands-on prep. You can have fresh cookies in under an hour.

This recipe makes about 18 cookies. That’s the perfect amount for a small gathering or to keep in your cookie jar for a few days. If you’re baking for a bigger crowd, just double or even triple the recipe. The dough scales up beautifully.

Here’s a quick guide to scaling the recipe:

Batch	Single	Double	Triple
Number of Cookies	~18	~36	~54
Prep Time	15 min	20 min	25 min
Baking Time	12 min	12 min	12 min

Difficulty Level: Easy. If you’ve ever made a batch of classic chocolate chip cookies, you’ll feel right at home with this. There are no complicated techniques, and the dough comes together fast.

hat you’ll need:

• A stand mixer or a hand mixer will make this recipe a breeze.
• A medium cookie scoop will help you make sure every cookie is the same size so they bake evenly.
• A few baking sheets and a cooling rack.

Don’t have a mixer? You can use a whisk and a little elbow grease. A large spoon or spatula will also work for mixing in the dry ingredients. Instead of a cookie scoop, you can just use a measuring spoon to portion out the dough.

Make-Ahead Tips: The dough is great for making ahead. You can make it up to two days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Just let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften before you start scooping.

Ingredients

This recipe uses a few pantry staples, but using quality ingredients will make a big difference in the flavor. Here’s a breakdown:

• 3/4 cup softened butter. It should be room temperature, soft enough to leave a slight indentation when you press it with your finger, but not melted.
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar. The brown sugar adds a deeper flavor and makes the cookies extra chewy.
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup rich molasses. This gives the cookies that classic gingerbread flavor. Stay away from blackstrap molasses—it’s too bitter for these cookies.
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger. This is the most important ingredient. Don’t skimp on the ginger! It’s what makes these cookies so special. You can even increase it to 2 teaspoons if you want a spicier cookie.
• 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for the coating.

A note on substitutions: You can swap the butter with a high-quality baking margarine or shortening. The recipe uses a specific ratio of sugars, but you can experiment with more or less brown sugar depending on how chewy you want the cookie to be.

Let’s Bake!

Follow these steps and your cookies will turn out perfectly.

Step 1: Making the Dough

First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Now, grab your electric mixer and a large bowl. Drop in your softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat them together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. This should take about two minutes. You’re looking for a change in color from a dark yellow to a pale cream. This is a key step to a tender cookie.

Next, reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the egg. Mix until it’s just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed evenly, then pour in the molasses. Keep mixing until you have a beautiful, uniform, dark brown mixture.

Now for the dry ingredients. Add your flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger all at once. Mix on low speed until it all comes together into a fragrant cookie dough. It’s important not to overmix here. As soon as the flour streaks disappear, stop the mixer. Overmixing can lead to a tough, dense cookie.

Step 2: The Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

While your oven preheats, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar for the coating in a small bowl. It already smells heavenly, doesn’t it? This gives the cookies a little sparkle and a crunchy crust.

Using a medium cookie scoop or a rounded tablespoon, portion out the dough into uniform balls. Roll each ball gently in the cinnamon-sugar coating until it’s completely covered. Place them on a non-greased cookie sheet a few inches apart. I usually put about six on a standard baking sheet so they have enough room to spread without touching.

Step 3: Baking and Cooling

Carefully slide your baking sheet into the preheated oven. Set a timer for 12 minutes.

The cookies are done when the centers have just set. They will still look a little soft and underdone in the middle, but that’s what you want! That’s the secret to a soft, chewy cookie. If you wait until they look completely baked, they will turn out hard and crispy.

Once the timer goes off, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for several minutes. This crucial step allows them to firm up without breaking. Once they are sturdy enough, use a spatula to move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Repeat the process until all the dough is gone. And now… go ahead and sneak one while it’s still warm. You earned it.

Make It Your Own

This gingerbread cookie recipe is a great starting point, but don’t be afraid to get creative!

• Gluten-Free: Swap the all-purpose flour for a high-quality gluten-free baking blend.
• Vegan: For a vegan version, use a plant-based baking stick instead of butter and a flax egg or a commercial egg replacer instead of a regular egg.
• More Spice: For a bolder, spicier cookie, you can add 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper to the dough, or increase the ground ginger.
• Get Fancy: You can use a simple royal icing for decorating if you want to get a little fancy.
• Seasonal Fun: Add a bit of orange zest for a citrusy twist in the summer, or a dash of nutmeg and cardamom in the fall.

Serving and Storage

Now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

These cookies are so good, they don’t need much else to shine. I love to serve them with a cup of hot cocoa or a glass of milk.

To keep them fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay perfectly soft for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cooled cookies in an airtight container or a freezer bag for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, just let them thaw on the counter.

I hope you had a blast baking with me today. Remember, the best part of any recipe isn’t just the food—it’s the joy of creating something delicious from scratch. Happy baking!

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