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.
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.
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 chocolate ginger cookies, iced gingerbread oatmeal cookies, gingerbread cookie bars (no dough chilling!), gingerbread cake, and gingerbread waffles next!
PrintGingerbread 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 (2/3 cup; 145g) 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 or royal icing
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?
If I only wanted to make 12 cookies since I don’t have enough freezer space for leftover dough do I just halve all the ingredients? If so, do I still stick with 1 egg and use 1/2 a tablespoon of ginger?
Thanks
Hi RS, You can halve the ingredients. Our general rule for halving an egg is to crack it open, beat the yolk and white together with a fork, measure the volume (should be a few Tbsp), then use half. Enjoy!
The recipe was easy to follow and the cookies were very good, nicely spiced and not too sweet (perfect for adding some icing). We ended up with more dough than we could use to make cookies to decorate, so instead cut them out in circular shapes and made ice cream sandwiches with them, which were soooooo good.
A pretty decent final product. However, following the recipe to a tee, the dough turned out overtly crumbly. Found that wetting my hands and kneading the dough did help it to stick together better. If you are like me, and enjoy a gingerbread cookies without icing I would probably reduce the amount of ginger. Also, made smaller cookies, about 2″ long, baked them for 7 minutes at 350. They did come out nice and soft.
well mine are in the fridge chilling now, the dough was extremely sticky (using the g measurement) also, didnt have molasses so used golden syrup…fingers crossed its good!
I’ve been eating gingerbread cookies my whole life and this is the best recipe! My family and kiddos love them! We have no self control during Christmas with these and like them even without icing.. yummy!
Just tried this recipe with King Arthur’s 1 for 1 Gluten Free flour and turned out perfect! Just wanted to share for any other gluten free bakers out there
I have a son with a dairy allergy. Can I use plant butter (I like using Country Crock’s version)?
Hi Hannah, We have never tested this recipe with dairy free butter but let us know if you give it a try!
Hi Sally,
My daughter has an egg allergy. What egg substitute method would you recommend with this cookie?
Hi Heidi, We have never tested this recipe with an egg substitute but let us know if you try anything. You may also be interested our egg free baking recipes.
This has been my go-to gingerbread recipe for the last couple of years. They come out perfect every time! I like to make an eggnog-flavored royal icing to top them with.
Unfortunately – I was just told by my doctor that I should quit gluten. Can these be made with gluten-free flour?
Hi Amanda, We are so happy that you have loved this recipe! We haven’t tested a gluten-free version of this recipe, so we’re unsure of the results. You might have been success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
My family and I are not usually gingerbread fans but WE LOVE THESE! Made them last year for Christmas and they were asked for by multiple family members again this year. Pretty simple recipe for the quality of cookie. Highly recommend!
Hi, do i need to add unsulphured molasses? I can’t seem to find any at my local shop I tried several shops but none had it so would it be fine if I didn’t add it?
Thanks, Wendy
Hi Wendy! Molasses is a very important ingredient in these cookies and they won’t turn out without it. If you don’t have molasses, we recommend our regular sugar cookies recipe and you can certainly add these dry spices.
Best gingerbread cookie recipe I’ve tried. Thank you!
Another Sally
VERY crumbly dough, I had to add milk to fix it and even then it was still hard to work with. I’ve had good luck with sally’s baking addiction in the past so I was a bit disappointed, but the flavor was still there.
I love this recipe! I’ve made gingerbread with this recipe for two years in a row now and I really enjoy the spice mix. Just the kind of gingerbread I’ve been looking for.
However, both times I’ve made this recipe I’ve had to add extra flour. This is a bit odd because I’m using the grams measurements and other people in the comments have been reporting that those measurements make the dough too crumbly. I re-measured my flour in US cups and added the difference to my dough (about 35g for me) and the consistency is about right now. Sticky but still definitely a dough.
I guess just be careful with your flour if you’re using grams measurements, judge the consistency of the dough yourself because something with the measurements posted here doesn’t seem to be right haha
Hi so uh I’ve figured out why my dough is always stickier. I read the molasses as 160g not 160ml. I’ve been adding about 50% more molasses than I should and have needed to add more flour to compensate.
Still tastes nice though haha
the dough was crumbly, but I didn’t have nearly as many problems with it as the other reviewers. I found that as long as I rolled the dough out the second it was out of the fridge it stayed in its disc shape and cut just fine. I definitely needed to make sure all (and I mean ALL) of the wet ingredients were incorporated. the cookies didn’t loose their shape one bit in the fridge, all of the sharp corners remained. they did taste a bit bland, though, which is to he expected from cut out cookies so it’s not that big of a deal.
These were really, really good! Sweet enough plain. The best flavor!
Great recipe! These cookies are not too crunchy and not too soft! Very easy to roll out!
These gingerbread cookies are everything they should be. Soft and fragrant but crisp if you make them thinner and/or bake a little longer. Every recipe on SBA is perfect, and these are no exception. We’ll have fun decorating them tonight. Thanks, Sally!
How many cookies does this recipe make?
About 24 four-inch cookies. Enjoy!
I had a very crumbly dough, when I was mixing these ingredients (as directed), and I’m not sure why, anyways I looked up some ways to fix this and it said to add a little bit of milk to the dough. I added about 2 tablespoons, will this affect my cookies any?
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.
Disappointing as taste overly of molasses and colour is very dark brown, not golden brown. Texture is lovely though. Could we replace some of the molasses with honey for a lighter flavour?
Hi Sam! Make sure to use unsulphured molasses for best flavor. Honey is not an ideal replacement for molasses, especially when you need this much. If you don’t have/don’t like molasses, we recommend our regular sugar cookies recipe and you can certainly add these dry spices.
Honestly the amount of molasses was way too strong for my taste and to me way too metallic. I used the 160ml measurement but my cookies are way darker then in the picture. I’ve decided to remake the batch using golden syrup and about a table spoon of molasses. Added double the ginger and then taste great
Hi, I don’t have a paddle attachment for my mixer, do you have any advice?
Hi Jessica, regular beaters work as well!
my dough came out super crumby and dry, any advice?
Hi Cassidy, Perhaps the flour wasn’t spooned and leveled (an easy fix for next time), but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed during the rolling process. Tips for rolling that we’ve always found useful if your dough is crumbly– try 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.
My advice: use the cup measurement (volume). I spoon-leveled one cup of flour first, measured the weight in grams, then used my measurement to calculate the weight of 3.5 cups.
If you use the recipe’s weight measurements, it is a lot more flour than a spoon-leveled cup of non-settled flour. The metric measurement probably came from a conversion chart and not actually weighing the amount of flour used originally.
Today was the first time making gingerbread cookies and yummmm! Definitely will be making again!
Well…..actually had to make two batches; the first batch accidentally put 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper. Was going to throw that batch away and my husband said you never know they might be good. So reluctantly added 1 tablespoon of cinnamon! Cut out 105 mini gingerbread men (1 disk). He says they’re really good. I’m to chicken to try them. Still going to serve them Christmas Eve with a cream cheese dip. I’ve named them “Flaming Gingerbread Men”!
Lol!!! That is hilarious! Totally something I could see myself doing. I bet they’re good with the cream cheese dip though! Great idea!
Mine was super crumbly and I couldn’t roll it out. I had weighed all my ingredients so I don’t know why. But I added a generous few flicks of water to my first half, kneaded it a bit, and rolled it between layers of plastic wrap. That worked pretty well but I had to be super careful when lifting it to put on the tray. The plastic actually helped with that. The second half of dough wasn’t as crumbly, so perhaps working it more helped. I think they tasted good, but I’ve only ever had ginger snaps which are wonderfully spicy. These were very mild.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve made a few of your creations this past month!
I think it’s because you measured in grams. It is a lot more flour than a spoon-leveled cup of non-settled flour. The metric measurement probably came from a conversion chart and not actually weighing the amount of flour used originally. I had a similar puzzle. I spoon-leveled one cup of flour first, measured the weight in grams, then used my measurement to calculate the weight of 3.5 cups.
I made these for the first time and they’re delicious! My only problem is after rolling them out so am them we’re covered in flour I couldn’t get off. How do I prevent this?
Hi Jenabella! You want to use enough flour to prevent sticking, but not so much that it impacts your cookies. I usually brush off extra with my fingers – hope this helps!
Second year making this ginger bread, it is the best
I just finished making the dough but it is very crumbly. I am worried it will be even more crumbly after chilling. Any tips
Hi Anna! Perhaps the flour wasn’t spooned and leveled (an easy fix for next time), but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed during the rolling process. Tips for rolling that we’ve always found useful if your dough is crumbly– try 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.
Do not use the grams/metric measurements given for flour. That’s probably why you have crumbly dough. It is a lot more flour than a spoon-leveled cup of non-settled flour.
The conversion to grams shows up on several baking charts/websites but it is probably very variable – the person originally developing the recipe maybe first measured in cups/volume and didn’t measure the amount in grams. @Sally please give us the actual weight of the amount of flour you used, not the chart calculated conversion.
Hi M! This recipe was tested in both cups and the grams listed. You can read more about measuring baking ingredients in this post if you’re interested 🙂
Thanks for your reply Trina. I tested this recipe using the measurements in cups and the measurement in metric at the same time, from the same bag of flour, and found a difference of almost a whole cup of flour. This was with two types of standard measuring cup and a digital scale.
I commented because it is a lovely recipe, but overly dry crumbly dough and bland under-spiced dough could maybe be because of adding too much flour, and it would be nice to give a heads up to add flour only until the dough is sticky and reserve the rest.
Hi Anna, 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. It’s 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.
My Sister and I make these cookies every Christmas. It has been fun and we get better at it each time. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
This is the 2nd year I have made these. They are so easy and very yummy – such a hit with our grandchildren! Thank you for a great recipe!
Amazing flavour and no problems rolling out