Description
Classic gingerbread cookies with warm spices and molasses, perfect for holiday decorating and festive gatherings. These soft and flavorful cookies are rolled out, cut into shapes, baked to perfection, and can be beautifully decorated with homemade icing.
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
- Sift dry ingredients: Sift flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and fine sea salt into a medium bowl to ensure even distribution of the spices and leavening.
- Cream wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and molasses until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on medium/high speed. Add the egg and continue beating for 1 minute until fully incorporated.
- Add dry mixture: Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on medium/low speed until just combined. The dough will be soft and moist.
- Chill the dough: Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. If sticky, sprinkle with additional flour to handle easily. Divide the dough into three equal pieces, flatten each into a disk shape, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and position a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Roll and cut dough: On a floured surface, roll one disk of chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness, turning frequently to prevent sticking. Use a 4 to 5-inch cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread shapes. Gather scraps, chill, and re-roll as needed.
- Bake the cookies: Place cut cookies at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges barely start to brown. Avoid over-baking if you prefer softer cookies. Transfer cookies to cooling racks.
- Repeat and cool: Repeat rolling, cutting, and baking with remaining dough disks. Allow all cookies to cool completely on racks before decorating or storing.
- Make the icing: In a medium bowl, stir powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more milk to thin as needed. Transfer icing to a piping bag, zip bag with a small hole, or squeeze bottle.
- Decorate cookies: Once the cookies are fully cooled, pipe and decorate with the prepared icing. Let the icing set and harden before storage.
- Store cookies: Store decorated or plain cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- For softer cookies, do not over-bake; remove them when edges just start to brown.
- If dough becomes too sticky to handle, dust with additional flour when rolling.
- The icing can be customized by adjusting powdered sugar and milk for desired consistency.
- Use piping bags and a variety of festive sprinkles for a holiday decorating party.
- Rimmed plates help contain sprinkles and icing mess during decoration.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
