Description
Classic homemade gingerbread cookies with warm spices and a soft, chewy texture perfect for holiday decorating and sharing.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
- 2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses or dark molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
For the Icing:
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and fine sea salt into a medium bowl to ensure an even spice distribution.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the unsalted butter, packed light brown sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes on medium/high speed.
- Add Egg: Beat in the large egg until it is fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Combine Mixtures: Add the sifted dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on medium/low speed just until combined. The dough should be soft and moist.
- Chill the Dough: Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. If it is sticky, dust the top with flour to pat into a disk. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces, flatten each into a disk, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm — about 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and place a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Roll and Cut: On a well-floured surface, roll out one dough disk to 1/4-inch thickness, turning frequently to prevent sticking. Use a 4 to 5-inch cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread shapes. Collect scraps, chill again before re-rolling.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange cut cookies on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until edges are barely turning brown, about 10 minutes. Avoid over-baking for softer cookies.
- Cool: Transfer baked cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate with Icing: Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more powdered sugar or milk as needed. Use a piping bag, zip bag, or squeeze bottle to decorate cooled cookies. Allow icing to set before storing.
- Store: Keep decorated or plain cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- To thicken icing, add more powdered sugar; to thin it out, add additional milk.
- Use piping bags and various festive sprinkles for fun holiday decoration.
- Rolling the dough evenly at 1/4-inch thickness ensures consistent baking and texture.
- Chilling dough before cutting prevents cookies from spreading during baking.
- For softer cookies, avoid overbaking and remove cookies as soon as edges start to brown lightly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
