Description
Delightfully spiced gingerbread cookies with a tender, soft texture perfect for holiday baking and decorating. These classic cookies combine warm spices and rich molasses, baked to golden edges and ready for festive icing and decoration.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
- 2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses, or dark molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
For the Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and fine sea salt into a medium bowl to ensure even distribution of spices and leavening.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the unsalted butter, packed light brown sugar, and molasses on medium/high speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the large egg and beat for another minute until fully incorporated.
- Combine Dough: Add the sifted flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on medium/low speed just until combined. The dough will be soft and moist at this point.
- Chill Dough: Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. If sticky, dust the dough with a little more flour. Pat it into a disk and divide into three equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a rack in the center position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner to prevent sticking.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: On a well-floured surface, roll out one dough disk to 1/4-inch thickness, turning the dough frequently to prevent sticking. Use 4 to 5-inch cookie cutters to cut shapes. Gather scraps, chill, and re-roll for additional cookies.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange cookies on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes until edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks. Avoid over-baking to maintain softness.
- Decorate Cookies: For icing, in a medium bowl, stir powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more powdered sugar for thickness or more milk for thinning. Transfer icing to a piping bag or squeeze bottle and decorate cooled cookies. Allow icing to harden before storing.
- Store Cookies: Once decorated and iced are set, store gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- To thicken icing, add more powdered sugar gradually until desired consistency.
- To thin icing, add milk a teaspoon at a time until smooth and pipeable.
- Use piping bags with small round tips or zip bags with a tiny hole for precise cookie decoration.
- Prepare a variety of sprinkles and colored sugars for festive decorating parties.
- Keep dough chilled to make rolling and cutting easier and to prevent sticking.
- Do not over-bake cookies to retain softness; edges should be lightly browned.
- Cookies can be made up to 24 hours ahead of baking if wrapped and refrigerated.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
