Prep Time: 30 minutes | Chill Time: 1 hour | Bake Time: 10 minutes per batch | Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies
These Gingerbread Cookies are the ultimate holiday classic! Perfectly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, they bake up with soft centers and crisp edges—ideal for decorating. Roll out the dough, cut into festive shapes, and decorate with royal icing for a beautiful addition to your Christmas cookie tray. This is the gingerbread cookie recipe you’ll make year after year!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Perfect texture. Soft in the center with crispy edges—the best of both worlds.
Classic spice blend. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg create that iconic gingerbread flavor.
Great for decorating. These cookies hold their shape beautifully, making them perfect for intricate designs.
Make ahead friendly. The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight, or even frozen.
Holiday tradition. Gingerbread cookies are a must for Christmas—perfect for cookie exchanges, gifts, or decorating with kids.
Tips for Success
Use fresh spices. Old spices lose their potency. Fresh cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg make all the difference.
Don’t skip chilling. Chilled dough is easier to roll and helps cookies hold their shape during baking.
Sift the flour. Sifting removes lumps and makes the dough smoother and easier to work with.
Roll between parchment. If the dough is sticky, roll it between two sheets of parchment paper to eliminate the need for extra flour.
Use a thin spatula. A thin, flexible spatula makes transferring cut cookies much easier without distorting the shapes.
Don’t overbake. These cookies should be firm but not hard. They’ll continue to crisp up as they cool.
Cool completely before decorating. Warm cookies will melt the icing. Be patient!
Make royal icing for decorating. Royal icing dries hard and smooth, perfect for detailed decorating. Mix 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons meringue powder, and 3-4 tablespoons water.
Storage & Reheating
Room temperature: Store undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Decorated cookies: Once the icing is completely dry, store decorated cookies in a single layer or between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze (baked): Freeze undecorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and decorate.
Freeze (dough): Wrap dough disks tightly in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling and baking.
Keep them crisp: Store with a piece of bread in the container to keep cookies from getting too hard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use blackstrap molasses? No, blackstrap molasses is too strong and bitter. Use regular unsulfured molasses or light molasses.
Why is my dough too sticky? The dough should be slightly sticky. If it’s unmanageable, chill it longer or add 1-2 tablespoons of flour while kneading. Avoid adding too much flour or the cookies will be tough.
Why is my dough crumbly? If the dough is too dry and crumbly after chilling, let it rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until it’s workable.
Can I use cookie stamps instead of cutters? Yes! Roll the dough into balls, flatten slightly, and press with a cookie stamp before baking.
How do I prevent spreading? Make sure the dough is well-chilled before baking. Also, don’t overbake—remove them when they’re just firm.
Can I make these gluten-free? Yes, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. The texture may be slightly different, but they’ll still be delicious.
Gingerbread Men Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and white sugar with an electric mixer on low speed until mostly incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, another 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg yolk and molasses. Beat in the egg yolk, then add the molasses and mix until well combined.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg until well combined.
- Combine wet and dry. Gradually add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture, beating on low speed until the dough is well blended and smooth. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
- Chill the dough. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight. Chilling makes the dough easier to roll and helps the cookies hold their shape.
- Preheat the oven. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll out the dough. Working with one disk at a time (keep the other in the fridge), place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll from the center to the edges with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
- Cut out shapes. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into desired shapes (gingerbread men, stars, trees, etc.). Dip the cutters in flour as needed to prevent sticking. Fit the cutters as closely together as possible to minimize re-rolling.
- Transfer to baking sheets. Use a thin spatula to carefully transfer the cut cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Gather scraps and repeat. Gather any dough scraps into a ball, flatten, re-wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate while the first batch bakes. Then roll, cut, and bake the remaining cookies.
- Bake. Bake each sheet in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are firm and the edges are just starting to darken. Don’t overbake—they’ll continue to firm up as they cool.
- Cool completely. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let them cool completely before decorating. They need to be completely cool or the icing will melt.
- Decorate and enjoy! Once cooled, frost or decorate the gingerbread cookies with royal icing, colored sugars, or candy. Let the icing dry completely before storing.
Nutrition Information (Per Serving)
Calories: 88 Protein: 1g Carbohydrates: 14g Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 2g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 6g Cholesterol: 15mg Sodium: 103mg
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