Here is my favorite gingerbread cookies recipe and one of the most popular Christmas cookie recipes on this website. Soft in the centers, crisp on the edges, perfectly spiced, molasses and brown sugar-sweetened holiday goodness.
Whenever I think of Christmas cookies, gingerbread cookies come to mind first. Well, after Christmas sugar cookies of course! Their spice, their molasses flavor, their SMILES, and their charm are obviously irresistible. Gingerbread cookies, you have my heart.
Key Ingredients in Gingerbread Cookies
The full written recipe is below, but let’s review a few key ingredients here first. Gingerbread cookie recipes all start the same and mine comes from my mom. To her recipe, I add a little more molasses and increase the amount of spice flavors (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice). Because of the added sticky sweetener (molasses), I add a little more flour to help soak it all up. Just like when we are making pinwheel cookies, a bit of extra flour helps the cookies can keep their shape.
- Molasses + spices for flavor
- Egg so the gingerbread cookies have structure and richness
- Brown sugar instead of white granulated sugar. I always use brown sugar when its flavor fits.
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies
Let’s walk through the gingerbread cookie recipe so you feel confident when you begin baking.
Chill the dough: The dough is sticky once it’s all beaten together in your mixing bowl and therefore, it absolutely MUST be chilled for at least 3 hours. Give yourself enough time in the kitchen or make the cookie dough and chill it overnight. You want your cookie dough firm so the cookies hold their shape and you want your cookie dough manageable so you can work with it. You won’t have either unless you have chilled cookie dough!
Wrap up the dough: It’s easiest to wrap the dough in plastic wrap before chilling. Scoop out 1/2 of the prepared cookie dough, plop it onto a long sheet of plastic wrap, wrap it up, and flatten it out into a disc. Repeat with the other 1/2 of dough. Then chill. See that photo above? That’s what you’re doing, but you’ll have 2 discs. Why are you doing this? It’s easier to roll out the chilled cookie dough when it is in a disc shape. Also, the cookie dough chills faster when there is less volume. And it’s just easier to work with smaller portions when rolling/shaping!
Roll it out: After chilling, roll out the chilled cookie dough discs until about 1/4-inch thick. Don’t be afraid to flour your hands, rolling pin, work surface, and everything in the world. By that, I mean: the cookie dough can become sticky as you work. So, don’t be scared to add more flour to the work surface. The flour spots on top of your shaped cookie dough will bake off.
Place the cut-out cookies onto a lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. The cookies won’t really spread, but you want to make sure they have enough room to breathe. They are gingerbread people, after all. 😉
How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
After they’ve baked and cooled, it’s time to decorate the cookies. We’re talking smiles, eyes, bow-ties, buttons, squiggles, whatever your gingerbread cookie loving heart desires. This is when it’s really fun to have a friend or little baker in the kitchen with you. You can use the easy cookie icing or my traditional royal icing recipe, whichever you prefer. For something even easier, you can decorate the gingerbread cookies with cookie decorating buttercream, and feel free to add a little cinnamon to it for extra spice flavor.
Tint the icing with a couple drops of food coloring to spice things up, too.
Many of the tools I include in my list of favorite cookie decorating supplies will be helpful for decorating these cookies. For more inspiration, here is my full tutorial on how to decorate sugar cookies (video included!).
It’s difficult not to love this recipe which is why they’re my favorite gingerbread cookies!
- The dough comes together easily
- The flavor is spot on—lots of molasses, ginger, cinnamon, all-spice, and cloves
- The edges are slightly crisp
- The centers are soft and chewy
- They’re so easy to decorate.
Don’t forget the other Christmas classics: Peanut Butter Blossoms and Snowball Cookies. And if you can’t get enough gingerbread flavor, try these gingerbread blossoms, chocolate ginger cookies, gingerbread latte cookies, iced gingerbread oatmeal cookies, gingerbread cookie bars (no dough chilling!), gingerbread cake, gingerbread cinnamon rolls, and gingerbread waffles next!
Gingerbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 four-inch cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
Description
This is my favorite gingerbread cookies recipe and it’s also loved by millions. Soft in the centers, crisp on the edges, and perfectly spiced. I played around with the spices a lot and really loved the flavor of these cookies when using a full Tablespoon each of ground ginger and ground cinnamon. Make sure you chill the cookie dough discs for a minimum of 3 hours.
Ingredients
- 3 and 1/2 cups (440g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger (yes, 1 full Tablespoon!)
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (160ml; about 200g) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: easy cookie icing, royal icing, or cookie buttercream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium high speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The butter may separate; that’s ok.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and beat on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Chill discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I always chill mine overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. Roll out disc until 1/4-inch thick. Tips for rolling—the dough may crack and be crumbly as you roll. What’s helpful is picking it up and rotating it as you go. Additionally, you can use your fingers to help meld the cracking edges back together. The first few rolls are always the hardest since the dough is so stiff, but re-rolling the scraps is much easier. Cut into shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with remaining disc of dough.
- Bake cookies for about 9-10 minutes. If your cookie cutters are smaller than 4 inches, bake for about 8 minutes. If your cookie cutters are larger than 4 inches, bake for about 11 minutes. My oven has hot spots and yours may too—so be sure to rotate the pan once during bake time. Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they’ll be. For soft gingerbread cookies, follow my suggested bake times.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, decorate as desired.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked and decorated (or not decorated) cookies freeze well – up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough discs (just the dough prepared through step 3) freeze well up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then continue with step 4.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pin | Gingerbread Cookie Cutter | Cooling Rack
- Gingerbread House: This cookie dough is not sturdy enough for gingerbread houses. Here is my gingerbread house recipe.
WHAT HAVE I DONE?
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally! Can I double this recipe and have it still work out?
Hi Theresa! We recommend making two separate batches. It’s easier to work with less volume of dough at a time.
What if you were to, say, quadruple this recipe? lol. All separate batches?
Hi Jessica, yes, we’d recommend separate batches since that would be quite a lot of dough for a mixer to handle. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Love this recipe! My granddaughter has allergies to dairy, soy, and other stuff. So I tried , earth balance soy free spread instead of butter. Worked out great. Thanks for the recipe. Everyone loved them.
This is a great recipe and I use it all the time for various events. However, for my little ones whose gentle palettes say they can “feel” the ginger on their tongues, I cut down the “larger” flavors. I use the same cinnamon and about 1/2 to 2/3 tbsp ginger, no allspice and two dashes of cloves for fragrance, not taste (if that makes sense). Then I do the dark sugar but only add in 1/2 c. of the molasses plus 2 tbsps of white sugar. This way the cookies are sweet and soft and delicious but not too overwhelming in spice for little mouths.
Hi Sally,
Could I use salted butter and skip the salt used in the recipe
Hi Saumya, if using salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
What a lovely recipe! I made the dough last night and cooked a batch this morning. I used treacle instead of molasses because they are almost the identical in flavour (but not completely) and texture, and in the UK it’s easier and cheaper to buy treacle than molasses. This was a very easy-to-follow recipe and the dough becomes more workable with time, so if you take it out of the fridge and it seems a bit difficult to handle, just keep going and it will sort itself out. I’ve never made gingerbread cookies before and they came out PERFECTLY, which is testament to the quality of the recipe, which really does make the whole process very simple and straightforward. Delicious flavours, the timings Sally suggests above are bang on the nail, so overall it’s a really solid and successful recipe that is going to make Christmas that extra special! Thanks Sally 🙂
The cookies had the perfect balance of sweetness and warm flavors from the ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Thanks a lot!
Hi Sally. Would golden syrup be okay to use as a substitution for the molasses?
Hi Jess, unfortunately there isn’t a substitute for molasses that will still give you that signature gingerbread taste. Some readers use golden syrup, but the flavor profile will change.
Just a quick question. Your recipe calls for 160ml (2/3 cup) of molasses. I did use the 160ml since it specified that much; but…on my scale, if I pour the 160ml into a glass measuring cup (after zeroing it out for tare) it’s shows only 1/2 cup. Just started using this scale for weighing ingredients, so wondering how the difference computes. Thanks.
Hi Bob, 160ml is a volume measurement, like cups/liquid ounces, and weighing ingredients on a scale is best for things in grams/weight ounces. When I weigh 2/3 cup molasses (160ml), it comes to 200g. We’re adding the gram measurement to the recipe now, so thank you for bringing this up! It’s helpful to have the grams in there as well.
Just finished baking first batch. This recipe is easy to follow, had no issues rolling out dough . The level of spices and sweetness is spot on. It’s not overly sweet which allows for frosting. I found that the cup and weight measurements are not equal so went with weighing the ingredients. Based on the taste, weight is the way to go. My grandsons will think their grandma’s the greatest!
I’m just beginning to make the cookies. Got the dough done last night. Just a couple of questions, I used a hand mixer, not the stand mixer. The dough didn’t come together like you described. It was totally mixed though and it felt combined but not in a ball. I took it and wrapped in Saran Wrap wondering should I have taken more time mixing?
Hi Taryn, as long as the dough seemed combined, you should be set. It should be quite thick and slightly sticky—did it feel/look like that? You can see in the video that it doesn’t mix into a perfect ball, but we use our hands to bring it all together before wrapping and chilling. Hope this helps!
I LOVE IT KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
Sally, how long can the dough chill in the refrigerator?
Hi Mary, you can chill the dough discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
Can I usr light brown sugar instead of dark sugar?
Absolutely.
Best gingerbread cookie recipe ever, I’ve used this recipe for the past 3 years now. What have done though is replace the molasses with syrup, and it doesn’t make it sweeter, and it comes out perfect everything.
I made this recipe 3 times now. The first time last year, they came out amazing when me and my boyfriend made ’em! But this year I made 2 batches and they both turned out dry, I followed the recipe exactly twice, yet the dough was crumbly and dry. Along with being crumbly when rolling. It cracked a lot more and I couldn’t just smooth it out. I use Brer molasses, but I don’t think that’s the problem.
Do you think this recipe works for cookie round cut outs in addition to the gingerbread people shapes? Just like a round cookie
Hi Ella! Here’s our favorite soft molasses drop cookies recipe.
I have made these many, many times and have used different shaped cookie cutters, none of them actual gingerbread people, and they turn out great! You can’t go wrong with any shape.
Can i substitute Ghee in place of reg. butter?
Hi Berta, we haven’t tested that substitution in these cookies but let us know if you do!
Wow ..these were so yummy! Even if you feel that you’ve never been a fan of gingerbread in the past..give these a chance, it may change your mind, as it had for me. It’s always exciting to find a new recipe that truly turns out delicious…this was one of those recipes. The kind you save and continue making through the years
2/3 cups butter is 20 tablespoons.
2/3 cups butter is 300 grams.
Guessing that should say 1/3 cup?
Hi Dave, this can be confusing. 1/2 cup of butter is 8 Tablespoons/113g, and 2/3 cup of butter is actually 10.6 Tablespoons but I round down to 10 Tablespoons. You need 145g butter, or 10 Tbsp.
I love baking. I’m always looking for new recipes to try. One I havent done is Gingerbread cookies. after searching the internet, I came across your recipe. Finally I tried it today. It was so easy to mix the ingredients and roll out the dough. I will definitely make this again. My home is now smelling like a traditional Christmas. Cant wait to share with family and friends. Thanks so much
We’re so glad this cookie recipe was a hit for you, Lucie!
Hiya, is there any alternative you’d recommend for the 1 large egg? Flax egg maybe?
Hi Maya, we haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes, so were unsure what might work best here. If you’re interested, here are all of our naturally egg-free recipes.
Hey Sally,
Can I substitute the butter for a dairy free alternative like Nutelex? (in Australia ) My daughter in anaphylactic to dairy but loves a cookie & anything Christmas!
Thanks!!
I haven’t personally tested it, but I fear the cookie dough will be too soft, and the baked cookies will spread. Let me know if you try it though.
Hey there! I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but when I want to sub butter I usually use coconut oil. Like butter, it is a saturated fat which means it will set up well in the refrigeration part of this recipe. Unsaturated fats (found in non-dairy butter alternatives) will not set up properly and like the author mentioned, will lead to the dough spreading when baked.
Hi! I love this recipe so much, but have recently moved to Colorado! Do you have any high altitude baking tips/suggestions for these cookies?
Hi Bella, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Gonna try this recipe because my daughter in law asked me to make gingerbread men with my grandkids! Never been good with rolled cookies…..so my fingers are crossed!
These are lovely! I added a dash of nutmeg and some orange extract in as well, they taste amazing!
my dough is crumbly but i followed all directions. it’s in the fridge right now any advice?
That’s perfectly normal. The dough will be crumbly when you begin to roll it out, however, it will soften and come together as you work it. If it’s crumbling, ball it back up and keep trying to roll it or work it with your hands to bring back together. You can use your fingers to flick some water on the dough to help moisten it as well.
Dough is VERY sticky (more than usual) and cookies taste kinda bland.
Hi! I was wondering if I could use a gingerbread spice in place of the spices in the recipe? I have gingerbread spice but I don’t have all of the spices that the recipe calls for like cloves. Thanks!
Hi Tammy, you can certainly try using that spice mix instead for 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon to replace the individual spices in the cookies. Let us know how they turn out!
This is the best recipe I’ve found! The cookies are slightly crisp on the edges but nice and soft in the middle. My toddler enjoyed making them with me (and snatching as much cookie dough as he could fit into his mouth). Like many other recipes, this one is perfectly flavorful, unlike so many bland options out there! Saved permanently in my holiday recipe folder!
Im excited to try this recipe! I’m curious why specifically not to use black strap molasses? Thanks!
Hi Wendy, blackstrap molasses can have a very strong, bitter taste so we don’t typically recommend using it in recipes.
I don’t mind the flavor of blackstrap molasses and plan to use it when I try out this recipe. It is much more rich in minerals and is what I have on hand.