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?
Would these work for some of the non-stick cookie molds (like the ones from Wilton)?
Hi Sheryll, We have never tried baking these cookies in molds but it should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Thanks Sally, really an all ‘star recipe!. No allspice on hand but I used some nutmeg. Even the two yr old likes.
Hi! I have a teacher wanting to make 90 of these for her Kindergarten class! How big are the cookies?
Hi Alexis! It depends on the size cookie cutter used, but we make 24 four-inch cookies with this batch.
Awesome! Thank you so much!
Could I substitute with golden syrup for the molasses to get a less intense molasses flavour? And would this recipe benefit from some apple cider vinegar to make the cookies soft or are they soft enough? My mum has specifically asked for soft gingerbread cookies this Christmas 🙂
Hi Steph, the consistency of the dough and flavor (especially) will change without molasses and with the addition of golden syrup. We recommend sticking with molasses. These cookies are already soft as written!
I have never commented on any recipe, but just had to with this one. I have a few in my fam. that despise molasses and spices!!! I know who hates spices??? But these cookies didn’t last a day in my house they are the epitome of Christmas. I will be making these every year, thank you!!!!
How many days can you leave the dough refrigerated for, and/or can I freeze the dough, or would that ruin it?
Thank you!
Hi Stefanie, you can chill discs in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. You can also freeze this dough — see recipe notes for freezing details.
Thanks so much, I just saw that now, LOL!
I’ve tried twice now and each time I make them the dough doesn’t stick together. When mixing in the dry ingredients into the wet the dough becomes flaky and hardly sticks which makes it hard to get dough clumped up to roll out. Any ideas why?
Hi Richard, how are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level to ensure the right amount of flour. It sounds like there may be too much of the dry ingredients in your mixture which is causing the dough to not come together. Hope this helps for next time!
I use measuring cups and level it off with a knife. Other recipes the dough comes out fine. I agree that it may be too much dry ingredients or maybe I’m not putting enough molasses in. Will try one last time because the cookies do come out delicious
I can’t make these again as I simply cannot stop myself from eating the lot. AMAZING recipe! Honestly the best gingerbread I’ve tasted and lovely and soft (I do not like hard, biscuit-ey gingerbread so much). I used about half the molasses after reading a few comments about the molasses flavour being too strong and they turned out lovely. Thanks!
This is the 3rd year I am making these and I make 120 at a time! Best gingerbread cookies ever! I use raisins for eyes and red hots for buttons.
I make gingerbread. On a professional and competition level. 600-1000 gingerbread houses a year. But I need and use a sturdy, not soft bake dough. As flat as possible with no baking soda to puff up (they taste great and do make good cookies .. but) I got asked to do some cookies this year. I trust recipes from this site so used this to base a softer cookie on. I did swap the spice measurements to my personal blend. The bake on these was great and the softness is exactly what I needed. Have already forwarded the recipe to friends. Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing. Can you tell me if I can use shortening instead of butter? Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, we can’t see why not! Though you may miss the butter flavor.
We love this recipe. I have some fresh ginger on hand this time….how do you suggest substituting?
Hi Lindsey, We haven’t tested it but you should be able to use fresh grated ginger. Just remember that fresh ginger isn’t as strong as ground dried ginger so you will need to use more, and you should grate it as finely as possible.
Excellent recipe! Made these as a first time gingerbread baker and very impressed. Firm enough to decorate yet soft when eaten.
Thank you!
These are the best gingerbread cookies I’ve had! They were super easy to make. The outside of the cookie was slightly crispy while the inside was soft…just perfect! I will make these every year for the holidays! I also had a ton of fun decorating them 🙂
Would you recommend using light or dark brown sugar? I’ve never made gingerbread before and I’m using the recipe in our homeschool unit study on it! =)
Hi Tiana, for a deeper molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar. There’s still plenty of flavor in the cookies if you decide to use light brown instead though.
Can you use salted butter instead of unsalted then use less salt
Hi Cynthia, you sure can — use 1/4 teaspoon of salt instead.
Hi Sally,
I would like to make these and hang them on the Christmas tree. Will they be sturdy enough to hang? And also how long will these keep?
Thanks from Australia
Hi Labrina, We haven’t tested these cookies as ornaments. You might wish to try the dough for our gingerbread house instead, as it’s a bit more sturdy. Let us know if you give it a try!
Terrible taste, far too much molasses and not enough ginger. Won’t be using this recipe again
Would it be okay to 1/2 this recipe?
Absolutely!
Another winning recipe! I made the cookie dough in advance then froze it to make with my granddaughter. The cookies were perfectly spiced and soft, but not too soft…just delicious!
Love this recipe. Just finished up making 2 batches – lots of gingerbread men, Christmas trees, candy canes, bell and angels. Easy to roll out and not too sticky, with great gingery flavour (that tablespoon of ginger does the trick). I’m about to make another couple of batches of dough. Busy making cookies to include in our local hospice Christmas treat bags that get delivered to over 125 people in our community needing palliative or other support services. Falalalala, my next batch of dough awaits! Thanks for a great recipe and love your other recipes too!
I made these today and substituted flour with Bob’s red mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour. They turned out so good. Delicious, bold flavor I was hoping for! This was my first attempt at a roll out cookie, mine are a little crunchy once cooled. Next batch I’m rolling a little thicker and sticking to the baking times. I unnecessarily added a minute. We can’t wait to decorate them tomorrow. Definitely adding these to the recipe box 🙂
Would you recommend substituting more brown sugar for molasses if molasses is unavailable? There doesn’t seem to be any molasses where I live.
Hi AJ, unfortunately there isn’t a comparable substitute for molasses that will give the cookies that signature gingerbread taste. Best to wait until you can find molasses to make these gingerbreads!
Since I won’t be near molasses for another year or so I figured subbing brown sugar (100g) was worth a try… and the cookies turned out awesome!! I love gingerbread cookies and I don’t think you can tell that I had to use a substitute! It’s a great recipe, super tasty
Hi there! Have you experimented with barley malt syrup? It’s what I have and it substitutes for molasses in other recipes. I wonder if that’s an okay swap. Thanks in advance for any info 🙂
I live in a place where there is no brown sugar and molasses is hard to find. I substituted brown sugar and molasses with agave and maple syrup last year and they came out great!
Made these gingerbread cookies and they were a big hit with my family! The recipe was easy to follow and the finished product was delicious! Definitely my go to gingerbread cookie recipe for now on.
Honestly I gave 3 stars for the excellent instructions! The dough is in the refrigerator now. If the dough is anything like the finished product then they have way too much molasses for my taste. I will update when I have finished product.
Same here with the Molasses. I just baked mine and test tasted the gingerbread this morning.
A bit too much. Everything else was perfect but a bit too much Molasses. Next time a little less with be added.
Hi! I want to make these for decorating with friends, I see they’re a soft cookie but are they hard enough to be handled without breaking while decorating?
Hi Arielle, yes, we decorate these all the time!
awesome recipe been making for years now. My question is now that I have a new fancy oven, alot of recipes dont specify if it requires convection or regular bake. thanks for an info and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Hi Dan! All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake. Hope this helps!
OMG – yes. I just had to comment because these were the best gingerbread cookies I ever have. Perfect baking time too for the softness I love. I will makes these forever! Thank you!!!
Have you tried this recipe with Almond Flour? I’m wondering if substituting the flour will ruin the flavor or consistency.
Hi Jennier, We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have 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!
If you are looking for a christmassy cookie made from almond flour, try the Zimtstern from Germany. It is SUPPOSED to be made of nut flour, so you’ll get a great consistency, and they taste very christmassy and nice. It’s not gingerbread, but a good alternative. https://www.daringgourmet.com/zimtsterne-german-cinnamon-star-cookies/
Are these cookies hard/crisp or soft cookies? Thanks
Hi Mickey! They’re softer gingerbread cookies. If you’re looking for a harder cookie, you may enjoy our gingerbread house cookie recipe instead!