Gingerbread Cookies

These soft and spiced Gingerbread Cookies are perfect for holiday baking and decorating with family. Enjoy their warm, cozy flavors in every bite!

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Bake up a batch of these soft and delicious gingerbread cookies for a cozy holiday treat! The warm spices, sweet molasses, and cute cookie shapes make these a perfect family baking project. Enjoy decorating each cookie with icing and sprinkles to add even more fun. Plus, the aroma of fresh gingerbread will make your home smell incredible!

This Gingerbread recipe is easy to follow, with step-by-step photos and directions to guide you. We’ve included pro tips and tricks to help you bake the perfect cookies. Check out the frequently asked questions below for even more baking help!

Nothing smells more like the holidays than the smell of gingerbread wafting from the kitchen. The aromatic spice gives soft gingerbread cookies a bit of a bite and that classic sweet and spicy flavor. Ginger is popular in many holiday recipes from pancakes to cheesecakes. 

Pull out your favorite cookie cutters, the ones you save for the best sugar cookie recipe, along with icing and candies for decorating. A batch of gingerbread cookies baking in the oven will not only make your house smell amazing, but you’ll light up the smiles on everyone's faces when they get to help decorate the cookies. Make sure this homemade holiday treats end up on your dessert tray this year. 

Gingerbread Cookies Ingredients

What you'll need to make these easy Gingerbread Cookies:

• ½ cup of shortening
• ½ cup of sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup of molasses
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
• 2½ cups of flour
• ¾ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of ground cloves
• ½ tablespoon of ground ginger

For the Royal Icing

• candies for decorating
• For The Royal Icing:
• 3 tablespoons of meringue powder
• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• ¾ cups of water
• food coloring (optional, to create different frosting colors)

Follow along with our pictures, step-by-step instructions, and the tips and tricks listed below. Let’s get started baking! This easy Gingerbread Biscuits recipe will fill your kitchen with the perfect holiday aroma while you have fun decorating!

FIRST STEP: In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the shortening, sugar, and salt on medium speed until smooth.

Add the egg, molasses, and white vinegar; beat well.

SECOND STEP: In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger.

THIRD STEP: A little at a time, add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. The cookie dough will be thick.

FOURTH STEP: Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. The dough should be cold to properly be rolled out.

FIFTH STEP: Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease or line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

For the best cookie shapes, you’ll be cutting cookies individually.

If preferred, the dough can all be rolled out at once and then cut into shapes. However, this process will make transferring the cut-out dough to the baking sheet – without distorting its shape – much more tricky,

SIXTH STEP: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and keep the dough in 1 big pile. Cut out 2 sheets of parchment paper, at least 1 inch bigger than the cookie cutter.

SEVENTH STEP: On one of the pieces of parchment paper, take a 1-inch ball of dough and roll it out to be ⅛ inch thick (add flour to the rolling pin if it’s sticking).

When rolling out the dough, aim for consistent thickness. This ensures even baking and prevents some cookies from burning while others are undercooked.

For a perfect balance between crisp edges and a soft center, aim to roll the dough to about ¼-inch thickness.

Press the cookie cutter into the flattened dough, and remove the excess dough scraps around the edge, adding it back to the big ball of dough.

Remove the cookie cutter. Take the other piece of parchment paper, place it on top of the cut-out dough, and flip it over.

EIGHTH STEP: Gently peel the top piece of paper off (the cookie will now be upside down).

Then gently flip the dough back over onto the parchment-lined baking sheet (spacing the cut-out cookies 1 inch apart) and peel the top paper off (the cookie will now be right-side up again).

This ensures a perfect shape.

NINTH STEP: Bake cookies for five to six minutes or until firm.

Gingerbread cookies can go from perfect to overbaked in a matter of minutes. Always keep an eye on them, especially during the last few minutes of baking.

It’s essential to remember that cookies continue to cook a bit even after being removed from the oven due to the residual heat. So, if they are just slightly soft in the center but firm around the edges, they will likely set up perfectly as they cool on the baking sheet.

A perfectly baked gingerbread cookie will have a slight bounce-back when lightly pressed. It shouldn’t feel hard or crunchy but should have a certain resilience to it.

TENTH STEP: Use royal icing and candies of your choice to decorate and serve!

1. In a stand mixer, add the meringue powder and powdered sugar, then add vanilla and turn the mixer on low speed.
2. Pour in ½ cup of water. Turn the mixer on high until it starts to increase in volume, then add a tablespoon of water at a time until the frosting falls from the whisk in a slow stream.
3. Place icing in a piping bag with a small round tip. I suggest using a #2 or #3 tip for this cookie decorating project.

You can store leftover royal icing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks

Before using it again, give it a good stir to smooth out any inconsistencies. If the icing appears too thick after refrigeration, you can thin it out with a few drops of water.

Gingerbread Cookies

These soft and spiced Gingerbread Cookies are perfect for holiday baking and decorating with family. Enjoy their warm, cozy flavors in every bite!

Did you try this recipe?Let our readers know how it turned out by Leaving a Review!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Chilling 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30

Calories 165 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Cookies

• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ tablespoon ground ginger

For the Royal Icing

• candies (for decorating)
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cups water

DIRECTIONS

 

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the shortening, sugar, and salt on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg, molasses, and white vinegar; beat well.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger.
• A little at a time, add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. The cookie dough will be thick.
• Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. The dough should be cold to properly be rolled out.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease or line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. For the best cookie shapes, use the method below.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and keep the dough in 1 big pile. Cut out 2 sheets of parchment paper, at least 1 inch bigger than the cookie cutter.
• On one of the pieces of parchment paper, take a 1-inch ball of dough and roll it out to be ⅛ inch thick (add flour to the rolling pin if it’s sticking). Press the cookie cutter into the flattened dough, and remove the excess dough scraps around the edge, adding it back to the big ball of dough. Remove the cookie cutter. Take the other piece of parchment paper and place it on top of the cut out dough and flip it over.
• Gently peel the top piece of paper off (the cookie will now be upside down). Then gently flip the dough back over onto the parchment-lined baking sheet (spacing the cut-out cookies 1 inch apart) and peel the top paper off (the cookie will now be right-side up again). This ensures a perfect shape!
• Bake cookies for 5 to 6 minutes or until firm. Do not overbake, or they will become crunchy.
• Use royal icing and candies of your choice to decorate and serve!

For the Royal Icing

• In a stand mixer, add the meringue powder and powdered sugar, then add vanilla and turn the mixer on low speed.
• Pour in ½ cup of water. Turn the mixer on high until it starts to increase in volume, then add a tablespoon of water at a time until the frosting falls from the whisk in a slow stream. I added another 2 tablespoons of water until my frosting was perfect.
• Place icing in a piping bag with a small round tip.

Notes

• You can also add a few drops of food coloring to create different colors in your icing.
• Any of your favorite cookie cutters can be used for your batch of gingerbread. This recipe made gingerbread men, Christmas trees, candy canes, and snowflakes, but different shapes will work too.
• If preferred, the dough can all be rolled out at once, then cut into shapes. It’s just more difficult to transfer the cut-out dough onto the baking sheet while still retaining its proper shape, especially if using intricate shapes.
• When removing the excess dough from around the cookie cutter, use a toothpick to get into the small crevices if needed.
• When peeling the parchment paper off of the piece of dough, start from the bottom and peel back the paper nearly horizontally in the opposite direction. Doing it at this angle will help the dough not stick as much.
• Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
• The gingerbread dough is rolled out very thin, but the cookies puff up and cook through nicely in the oven. I suggest using a #2 or #3 tip for this cookie decorating project.

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

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