• Recipes
• Desserts
• Cookies

published about 4 hours ago

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda

They’re perfectly chewy.

MakesMakes 36 (3-inch cookies)Prep40 minutesCook15 minutes to 20 minutes

Cook Mode+

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda

When it comes to holiday cookies, there’s nothing more classic than gingerbread cookies (preferably decorated with sweet icing). This richly spiced cookie — teeming with ginger, ground cinnamon, and cloves — perfumes your house from the moment you begin mixing the dough to the last tray that’s pulled out of the oven. But gingerbread cookies can be a little finicky. With the wrong recipe or a few mixing missteps they can become hard or, worse, bland. We’re not having that, so we created a foolproof gingerbread cookie recipe that tastes amazing and also has a dough that’s easy to handle.

Why You’ll Love It

• **They’re perfectly chewy. **Just as this holiday classic should be, these gingerbread cookies have a hint of crispness around the edges and are soft and chewy throughout.
• **The perfect blend of warm spices. **Nothing is more disappointing than a gingerbread cookie that’s lacking in flavor. That’s why this version ups the amount of spices and molasses for the most flavorful cookie possible.
• This is a foolproof recipe. If making cut-out cookies seems daunting, rest assured that this dough is easy to work with and the recipe reliably delivers consistently delicious, chewy cookies every time.

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda

Key Ingredients in Gingerbread Cookies

• Unsalted butter: Be sure the butter has ample time to come to room temperature so it’s easier to blend.
• **Spices: **These cookies use a classic mix of ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Now’s a great time to replace any of those spices if they’ve been lingering in the cabinet for awhile — fresh spices make for more flavorful cookies.
• Molasses: You’ll want to use regular unsulphered molasses (such as Grandma’s) for this recipe.
• **Sugar: **Light or dark brown sugar is the best choice for gingerbread cookies.

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

1. **Make the dough. **Whisk flour, spices, and baking soda together. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and kosher salt in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture until just incorporated. The dough will be thick and tacky.
2. **Divide the dough and chill. **Divide the cookie dough into two portions. Shape and pat into a rectangle, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm but pliable.
3. **Roll and cut the dough. **Lightly dust one portion of dough with flour. Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper until 1/4-inch thick. Cut out as many gingerbread people as possible. Repeat rolling and cutting the second portion of dough. The dough scraps can be re-rolled up to three times.
4. Bake the cookies. Bake until the edges appear dry and are slightly darker brown than the rest of the cookie.
5. Cool the cookies and decorate. Cool on the baking sheets for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with royal icing if desired.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

• Store plastic-wrapped dough in a freezer zip-top bag and freeze for up to one month (don’t forget to label the bag with baking temperature and time). Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling, cutting, and baking.
• Baked cookies can also be frozen — just bring them to room temperature before serving.

They’re perfectly chewy.

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons

(1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1

large egg, at room temperature

• 3 1/2 cups

all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

• 1 tablespoon

ground ginger

• 2 teaspoons

ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon

ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon

freshly grated or ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon

baking soda

• 3/4 cup

packed dark or light brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon

kosher salt

• 3/4 cup

unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap), such as Grandma’s

• 1 teaspoon

vanilla extract

Royal icing, for decorating (optional)

Whisk 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda together in a medium bowl. 1.

Beat 1 1/2 sticks room-temperature unsalted butter, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. 1.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 3/4 cup molasses, 1 room-temperature large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. The butter may appear to separate, but it will come together as you add the flour and continue mixing. 1.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the flour mixture, then mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute. The dough should be thick and tacky. 1.

Divide the dough into 2 portions (about 16 ounces each). Shape each portion into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm but pliable, at least 1 hour or up to overnight. 1.

About 30 minutes before the dough is ready, arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 1.

Unwrap one portion of the dough and dust lightly with all-purpose flour. Sandwich between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out to 1/4-inch thick. Use a gingerbread-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many gingerbread people as possible. 1.

Using a flat spatula, transfer them to the baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one (they will not spread). Repeat rolling and cutting the second portion of dough until the baking sheets are filled. 1.

Bake for 4 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and from front to back. Bake until the edges appear dry and are slightly darker brown than the rest of the cookie, 4 to 5 minutes more. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then use a flat spatula to transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely before decorating with royal icing if desired. 1.

Meanwhile, gather the dough scraps together, re-wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before rolling out the next batch and baking. Let the baking sheets cool completely between batches, but you can reuse the parchment paper. The dough scraps can be re-rolled up to 3 times before any remaining dough should be discarded because the cookies will be tough.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead

• The dough can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.
• Baked, unfrosted cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature before frosting and decorating.

**Storage: **Store frosted cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Filed in: