Gingerbread Cookies

Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies are the best classic Christmas cookies. Top them with buttercream frosting or royal icing.

How to make gingerbread cookies that keep their shape

The key to cut out gingerbread cookies that keep their shape is COLD cookie dough! There are a few methods to getting cold cookie dough..

• Mix the dough together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling out the dough.
• Make the dough, cut out your shapes, then freeze the shapes for 10 minutes before baking.

How thick to roll cut out dough

This really depends on preference. 1/4 inch thick is a pretty good standard, but you can roll them thicker or thinner. Be aware that the baking time will change depending on how thick the dough is.

What you’ll need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

COOKIES

• Unsalted butter – Let this soften to room temperature.
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Egg – Use one large egg at room temperature.
• Unsulphured molasses – Do not use blackstrap molasses. 
• White vinegar – reacts with the baking soda to aid the cookies in rising. I promise the cookies do not taste like vinegar!
• All-purpose flour – measured properly, either by using the spoon and level method or measuring by weight.
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon, cloves and ginger – the quintessential gingerbread spices! 

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

• Unsalted butter – This butter should also be softened so it can be whipped into a creamy frosting.
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Milk – Heavy cream is fine, too.
• Gel food coloring – Gel food coloring will help you achieve vivid hues without introducing a lot of extra liquid into the frosting.

ROYAL ICING

• Powdered sugar – Sift this to keep lumps out of the icing.
• Milk or warm water
• Corn syrup – Use light corn syrup for this recipe.
• Vanilla or almond extract
• Gel food coloring

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

MAKE THE COOKIES:

Mix the wet ingredients. In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter, sugar, and salt for 90 seconds. Add the egg, molasses, and white vinegar then beat for 1 minute more. 

Mix the dry ingredients. In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. 

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until it’s incorporated. 

Chill. Divide the dough into two portions and pat them into discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to two days.

Roll out the dough. Preheat your oven to 375ºF and take one disc of dough out of the refrigerator. On a silicone baking mat or lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick.

Cut out the cookies. Cut the cookies with cookie cutters, then pull away the scraps and use a spatula to transfer the cut cookies to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. (You can pat together the scraps and roll them out to cut again, but if they feel warm, you should refrigerate them first or the cookies you cut from it will spread.)

Bake. Bake the cookies for 5 to 6 minutes. 

Cool. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack. They should be completely cool before you frost them.

Repeat. Repeat the process with the remaining dough, using either a second baking sheet or letting the first baking sheet cool.

TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

Beat the butter. Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat it for 90 seconds, or until its fluffy.

Add the remaining ingredients. Slowly beat in 2 cups of powdered sugar, then the extracts. Taste and add more powdered sugar a cup at a time. If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk or heavy cream.

Color the frosting. Decide how many colors you want and divide the frosting into bowls accordingly. Color each bowl of frosting with a small amount of gel food coloring.

Decorate the sugar cookies. Scoop the frosting into piping bags fitted with small round tips or spread the frosting onto the cookies. Add sprinkles immediately after frosting so they stick, then let the frosting harden for several hours or overnight.

TO MAKE ROYAL ICING:

Mix the icing. Combine all of the icing ingredients except the gel coloring in a mixing bowl and mix with a spatula or mixer until the icing is smooth, adding milk or water a teaspoon at a time if it’s too thick. 

Color the icing. Divide the icing into bowls and color each with gel food coloring. Transfer the icing to piping bags or squeeze bottles and decorate the cookies.

How to freeze gingerbread cookie dough

Let’s talk about 2 different methods you can use to freeze gingerbread cookie dough. 

1. FLATTEN DOUGH INTO DISC

You can freeze this cookie dough by dividing it in half and flattening each half into a disc. Wrap each disc well with plastic wrap and place inside a freezer bag or container. To thaw, place the dough in the fridge overnight.

2. PRE-CUT THE SHAPES

You can also freeze pre-cut shapes to bake later. To do this..

• Roll out the dough after making it and cut into your desired shapes
• Place the shapes on a silicone or wax paper lined baking sheet and freezer for 1-2 hours, or until frozen.
• Once frozen, remove the shapes from the pan, wrap like shapes together in plastic wrap and store inside a freezer bag or container.
• To thaw, unwrap from the plastic, place the shapes on a silicone lined baking sheet on the counter and allow them to thaw for 15-25 minutes before baking. You want the shapes to still be cold, but not frozen.

How to properly measure flour

Fluff the flour with a fork

• Use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup
• Use a butter knife to level the measuring cup

Sticking the measuring cup straight into the bag of flour will result in too much flour to be packed into the cup, which can result in dry cookies.

Tips for Success

Here are some of my most important tips:

• Measure the flour properly. Don’t scoop it into the measuring cup or you’ll end up with dry, crumbly cookies. Instead, spoon the flour into the cup and use a butter knife to sweep off any excess.
• Keep the dough cold. This is how you’ll get your cookies to hold their shape when they bake.
• Let the icing or frosting harden. If you pack up your cookies before these set, your cookies will be ruined. I usually place my cookies on baking sheets and cover them with lids or tent them with foil.