Description
These BEST Gingerbread Cookies combine traditional warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and clove with molasses and brown sugar for a chewy, flavorful holiday treat. Perfect for decorating with homemade royal icing, these cookies offer the ideal balance of softness and crisp edges after chilling and baking, making them a festive favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
Gingerbread Cookies
- 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 6 tbsp vegetable shortening
- 3/4 cup (150g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup (250g) unsulphured molasses (e.g., Grandma’s)
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- 3 1/2 cups (450g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
Icing
- 1 1/2 cups (165g) powdered sugar
- 6–8 tsp water
- 1 tsp corn syrup
- Gel food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Mix Butter, Shortening, and Sugar: In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vegetable shortening, and dark brown sugar on medium-high speed for about 1 minute until light and creamy.
- Add Vanilla, Egg, and Molasses: Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the vanilla extract and egg until smooth. Scrape the bowl again and beat in the molasses until the mixture is smooth, rich, and glossy.
- Add Spices and Leavening: Mix in ground ginger, ground cinnamon, kosher salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, and ground clove until combined evenly throughout the batter.
- Incorporate Flour: Scrape down the bowl, then gradually add the all-purpose flour while mixing. The dough will become very thick and sticky; mix as long as your mixer can handle it, then finish folding the dough using a strong silicone spatula to ensure that the dough is fully combined.
- Chill the Dough: Transfer the dough onto a flour-dusted sheet of plastic wrap. Flour your hands, pat the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. For chewier cookies, chill for 1-2 hours; overnight chill softens the dough making rolling easier but cookies less chewy.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove the dough from the fridge and cut it in half. Return one half to the refrigerator while you work with the other half.
- Roll and Cut: Flour both sides of the dough half and roll out on a well-floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes and carefully transfer them to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spacing cookies 2 inches apart.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake for 8-10 minutes starting with 8 minutes. Cookies are done when puffed and cracked but center looks slightly underdone.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies rest on the pan for 1-2 minutes to set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will flatten and de-puff as they cool.
- Repeat Baking: Continue rolling and cutting remaining dough halves and scraps, refrigerating between batches as needed, and bake them following the same process.
- Prepare the Icing: Once cookies have cooled, whisk powdered sugar, corn syrup, and 6 teaspoons of water together until smooth and thick but spreadable like thick glue. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time if too thick. Add gel food coloring if desired.
- Decorate: Pipe designs using the icing onto cooled cookies and allow to set before serving or storing.
Notes
- Size and Baking Time: Cookies approximately 4×2.5 inches bake perfectly at 8 minutes. Smaller cookies require 6-8 minutes; larger cookies may need up to 10 minutes.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days; they will soften over time. For extended freshness, refrigerate for a few more days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 35g)
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
