Best Homemade Gingerbread Cookies
Best Homemade Gingerbread Cookies for Christmas cookie cut-outs. Soft yet sturdy cookies with warm spices, easy to roll, cut, and decorate.
Best Homemade Gingerbread Cookies
These Best Homemade Gingerbread Cookies are a must make for Christmas baking and holiday cookie cut outs. Perfectly spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, the dough rolls out smoothly and holds its shape beautifully in the oven, making it ideal for detailed cutters and decorating. The cookies bake up soft in the center with lightly crisp edges, delivering classic gingerbread flavor in every bite. Whether you’re decorating with royal icing, enjoying them plain, or gifting festive cookie boxes, these homemade gingerbread cookies are a timeless Christmas favorite the whole family will love. Find more ideas 👉Cookies Biscuits and snack bars. More Desserts to try out!
FAQ’s
Yes, gingerbread dough is perfect for making ahead. You can prepare the dough and keep it tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling and cutting.
Chilling helps the dough firm up, making it much easier to roll and cut clean shapes. It also prevents the cookies from spreading in the oven, so your cut-outs keep their crisp edges.
This recipe spreads very little, especially when the dough is properly chilled. If your dough feels soft or sticky, pop it back in the fridge for 10–15 minutes before baking.
The cookies are ready when they feel firm to the touch and the edges are set. They will continue to firm up as they cool, so avoid overbaking to keep them from becoming too hard.
Store fully cooled and decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Layer with parchment paper to protect the icing.
Ingredients for Best Homemade Gingerbread Cookies
- flour
- cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg
- baking powder, baking soda
- salt 🧂
- butter 🧈
- brown sugar
- molasses
- egg 🥚
- vanilla extract
- Icing sugar and water, for decoration.
For all your amounts needed and the full instructions see the recipe attached. Download or print it and use it online with the cook mode. 😉
How To make Best Homemade Gingerbread Cookies
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix just until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
- Divide the dough in half and place each portion onto plastic wrap. Press into flat discs, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight for best results.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Remove one dough disc from the fridge and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough out to about ⅛-inch thickness, then cut into your favorite shapes. If using the cookies for decorating or hanging, carefully cut a small hole with a straw or skewer before baking.
- Arrange the cookie cut-outs on the prepared baking trays, leaving about 1 inch of space between each. Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and firm to the touch.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating with icing.
If you loved these classic homemade gingerbread cookies, there’s so much more festive baking to explore. Be sure to browse Desserts, including A Selection of Cake Recipes, Cookies, Biscuits, Snack Bars and Brownies, Pies, Tarts, Pastry and Pavlova Recipes, Delicious No Bake Desserts, and comforting Oven Baked Pudding Recipes. Whether you’re planning holiday baking or simply craving something sweet, you’ll find plenty of inspiration to keep your kitchen warm and joyful all season long ✨
Recommendations
(click the highlighted heading for the recipes)
- Easy Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies (father Christmas’s favorite)
Best Homemade Gingerbread Cookies
Best Homemade Gingerbread Cookies for Christmas cookie cut-outs. Soft yet sturdy cookies with warm spices, easy to roll, cut, and decorate.
- Prep Time: 1 hr, 3 hrs rest time,
- Cook Time: 8 -10 min
- Total Time: 4 hrs, 8-10 min
Ingredients
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon of clove
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of molasses
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
- Icing sugar and water, for decoration.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix just until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
- Divide the dough in half and place each portion onto plastic wrap. Press into flat discs, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight for best results.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Remove one dough disc from the fridge and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough out to about ⅛-inch thickness, then cut into your favorite shapes. If using the cookies for decorating or hanging, carefully cut a small hole with a straw or skewer before baking.
- Arrange the cookie cut-outs on the prepared baking trays, leaving about 1 inch of space between each. Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and firm to the touch.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating with icing.
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