These soft, warmly spiced gingerbread cookies bake up tender and chewy, with just the right amount of molasses sweetness and a cozy blend of ginger and cinnamon. I first made these with my sister Sarah one December afternoon when we were craving something that tasted like childhood, and let me tell you, the smell alone brought back every holiday memory.
They're surprisingly easy to make, and you get that perfect soft texture without any fuss. If you're looking for more holiday treats, try this Easy Cookies and Cream Pie Recipe or these Healthy Heart Shaped Brownies Recipe for something a little different.
These cookies stay soft for days, which means you can bake a big batch and enjoy them all week long.
Why You'll Love This Gingerbread Cookies
Perfectly soft texture. These cookies stay tender and chewy, not dry or hard like some Christmas gingerbread cookies can turn out.
Easy dough. No creaming butter for ten minutes or wrestling with a stand mixer. You melt everything on the stove, stir it together, and you're done.
Great for decorating. The dough holds its shape beautifully, so your gingerbread cookie cutouts look clean and sharp. Royal icing sticks perfectly, too.
Make-ahead friendly. The dough can chill in the fridge for up to two days, so you can prep when you have time and bake later.
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Gingerbread Cookies Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make these soft gingerbread cookies dough treats.
See Recipe Card Below This Post For Ingredient Quantities
For the Cookies:
Shortening: Keeps the cookies soft and helps them hold their shape. You can use butter instead, but the cookies will spread more during baking.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create that tender crumb.
Molasses: This is what gives gingerbread cookies their deep, rich flavor and dark color. Don't skip it.
Egg: Binds everything together and adds moisture. Room temperature eggs mix in more smoothly.
Vanilla extract: Rounds out the spices and adds warmth to the flavor.
All-purpose flour: Forms the structure of the cookies and keeps them from spreading too much.
Baking soda: Gives the cookies a little lift and helps them bake evenly.
Ground ginger: The star spice that gives these their gingerbread flavor. It's warm, slightly sharp, and totally essential.
Ground cinnamon: Adds cozy sweetness and pairs beautifully with the ginger.
Salt: Balances the sweetness and makes all the other flavors pop.
For the Royal Icing:
Egg white: Creates that smooth, glossy icing that hardens perfectly for decorating.
Powdered sugar: Sweetens the icing and gives it body.
Vanilla extract: Adds a hint of flavor to the icing.
Salt: Just a pinch to balance the sweetness.
How To Make Gingerbread Cookies
Roll up your sleeves and let's bake some gingerbread cookies recipe magic.
Melt the base: Combine the shortening, granulated sugar, and molasses in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until the shortening melts completely and everything looks smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and let it cool slightly so it's warm but not hot to the touch.
Mix in wet ingredients: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the cooled mixture. Whisk everything together until it's smooth and glossy, with no streaks.
Add dry ingredients: Toss in the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold everything together until no flour streaks remain. The dough will feel soft and slightly sticky, but that's exactly what you want.
Chill the dough: Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap or tin foil, and pop it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. This helps the flavors develop and makes the dough easier to roll out.
Preheat and prep: Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Roll and cut: Lightly flour your work surface and roll the chilled dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters (a 3-inch gingerbread man cutter works great) to cut out your shapes.
Bake: Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes. The edges should look lightly browned and the centers should still appear slightly soft. Don't overbake unless you want crispy cookies instead of chewy gingerbread cookies.
Cool completely: Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool all the way before decorating.
Make the icing: Whisk together the egg white, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. If the icing feels too thick, add water ¼ teaspoon at a time. If it's too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
Decorate: Transfer the royal icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and decorate your gingerbread cookies however you like.
Substitutions and Variations
No shortening? You can use butter instead, but your cookies will spread more and the texture will be slightly different. Still delicious, just a bit flatter.
Molasses alternatives. If you don't have molasses, you can try dark corn syrup or honey, but the flavor won't be quite the same. Molasses gives that deep, traditional gingerbread taste.
Dairy-free option. Stick with shortening instead of butter, and you're already dairy-free. For the icing, you can use aquafaba (chickpea liquid) instead of egg white.
Extra spicy. Add ½ teaspoon of ground cloves or a pinch of black pepper for a spicier kick.
Gluten-free gingerbread cookies. Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour. The texture might be slightly different, but it works.
Equipment For Gingerbread Cookies
Rolling pin: For rolling out the dough to an even thickness.
Cookie sheet: Any standard baking sheet works. I like using two so I can prep the next batch while one bakes.
Mixing bowls: You'll need a couple, one for melting and mixing, one for icing.
Saucepan: For melting the shortening and sugar mixture on the stovetop.
Parchment paper sheets: Keeps your cookies from sticking and makes cleanup easy.
Rubber spatula: Perfect for folding the dough together without overworking it.
Cookie cutters: Gingerbread men are classic, but any shape works. Just adjust the baking time for smaller or larger cookies.
Piping bag and tip: For decorating with royal icing. If you don't have one, a plastic bag with the corner snipped off works in a pinch.
Storage and Freezing Tips
Room temperature storage. Keep your gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They'll stay soft if you seal them up right after they cool.
Freezing baked cookies. Let the cookies cool completely, then freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. They'll keep for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before decorating.
Freezing the dough. You can freeze the dough disc for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and cutting.
Decorated cookies. If you've already decorated with royal icing, store them in a single layer in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers. The icing will stay hard and pretty for several days.
Serving Suggestions
These easy gingerbread cookies are perfect on their own, but here are some cozy ways to serve them:
With hot cocoa. Dunk a gingerbread man in a mug of hot chocolate. The warm chocolate softens the cookie just a bit, and it's pure comfort.
Alongside eggnog. The spices in the cookies match beautifully with creamy eggnog. It's a holiday pairing that just works.
On a dessert platter. Arrange them with Easy Lemon Blueberry Tart and some peppermint bark for a festive spread.
As edible ornaments. Poke a hole in each cookie before baking, thread ribbon through after they cool, and hang them on the tree. Just don't be surprised when they disappear.
Expert Tips
Don't skip the chill time. It seems like a hassle, but chilling the dough makes it so much easier to work with and helps the cookies keep their shape.
Watch the baking time closely. These cookies go from perfectly soft to overbaked fast. Set a timer and check them at 8 minutes.
Room temperature egg matters. A cold egg won't mix in as smoothly with the warm melted mixture. Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before you start.
Re-roll scraps carefully. You can re-roll the dough scraps once or twice, but after that, the cookies might get tough. Chill the scraps again if the dough gets too soft.
Let icing dry completely. If you're stacking or packaging the cookies, make sure the royal icing is totally set first. It usually takes a few hours at room temperature.
FAQ
What are common mistakes in making Gingerbread Cookies?
Overbaking is the biggest one. These Gingerbread Cookies need to come out when they still look slightly soft in the center. If you bake them until they're totally firm, they'll turn hard and dry as they cool. Another mistake is not chilling the dough long enough, which makes the cookies spread too much and lose their shape.
What are some fun facts about gingerbread cookies?
Gingerbread Cookies has been around since medieval times, and Queen Elizabeth I is said to have invented the gingerbread man by having cookies shaped like her guests. Gingerbread houses became popular in Germany after the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel was published. The spices in gingerbread were once considered luxurious and expensive, so serving gingerbread was a sign of wealth.
Should gingerbread cookies be kept in the fridge?
Nope, these soft gingerbread cookies are better at room temperature. The fridge can actually make them firm up too much. Just keep them in an airtight container on the counter and they'll stay soft and chewy for up to 5 days. If you live somewhere really humid, the fridge might help, but let them come to room temperature before eating.
How to know gingerbread cookies are ready?
The edges should look set and lightly browned, while the centers still appear slightly soft or even a bit underdone. They'll firm up as they cool. If you wait until they look totally done in the oven, they'll be too hard once they cool down. Trust the timing and pull them out at 8-9 minutes for standard-sized cookies.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ½ cup shortening or butter, but using shortening prevents more spreading
- ½ cup granulated sugar regular white sugar
- 1 cup molasses unsulphured
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract pure
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour unbleached
- 1 teaspoon baking soda for leavening
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger ground
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon salt fine salt
For the royal icing:
- 1 egg white pasteurized or from a safe source
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar for smooth consistency
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- pinch of salt to balance sweetness
Instructions
- Place the shortening, sugar, and molasses in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until the shortening has fully melted. Remove from heat and let cool until slightly warm, but still liquid.
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Once the mixture has cooled, add the egg and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
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In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add to the molasses mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula until combined. The dough will be soft and a little sticky.
- Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap or foil, shape into a disc, and wrap tightly. Chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
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Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. Cut out cookies using cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Be careful not to overbake to keep them soft.
- Once the cookies are cool, prepare the royal icing by whisking together the egg white, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. If the icing is too thick, add a little water; if too thin, add powdered sugar.
- Transfer the royal icing to a piping bag with a small round tip and decorate the cooled cookies.
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