A holiday classic that combines the art of baking with arts and crafts!
Is there anything that brings more childlike wonder, more whimsy, and joy to the season than classic gingerbread cookies? Everyone has a memory of baking gingerbread cookies during wintertime holidays. I know I, for one, have nostalgia for the annual gingerbread village I would help my grandmother bake, complete with little people adorned in decorative icing and candies (though, we used Red Hots for buttons, making extra spicy sweets!) — that was always my favorite part. Icing gingerbread cookies, especially little gingerbread people, is the beautiful union of delicious flavor and decorative fun! That’s why we want to embrace the meeting of arts and crafts and the art of baking in our gingerbread cookies!
On top of the classic flavor of sharp ginger and gourmand molasses, our gingerbread cookies have just the right rigidity to stand up on their own while also being plush enough to bite into with ease. Perfect for the holidays and a joy to bake and decorate, gingerbread cookies are fun for the whole family!
Cookie Cutters and Dessert Décor
Though we have shaped our gingerbread cookies into little people and used piped icing for details and colorful chocolate candies for buttons, there’s nothing stopping you from making your gingerbread cookies the way you like them! The flexibility of the cookie dough and the wide variety of cookie cutters available mean that the possibilities are nearly endless! If you’re looking to spruce up your gingerbread cookie spread, try a couple of dynamic shapes and decorations!
If you’re celebrating the holidays in the tropics, why not bring your gingerbread cookies to the beach with palm tree-shaped cookie cutters, colorfully speckled nonpareils for fairy-light-adorned coconuts, and some green sugar sprinkles for the leaves?
Want to make something a little closer to the North Pole? Make your gingerbread people into elves with a light sprinkling of matcha in your icing, and, for old Saint Nick, use some shaved coconut for his big white beard!
If you want to keep your gingerbreads classic, either a village or an old-fashioned gingerbread house, why not dust some powdered sugar onto the rooftops to give them that freshly snowed-in feel? Add a couple of classic rainbow sprinkles around the edges of the roof, and call them Christmas lights!
FAQs & Tips
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Gingerbread cookies are fun to have any time of year, but if you’re looking to get a head start on your holiday spread, why not freeze your cookie dough? You can prepare all of the ingredients ahead of time, shape them, and store them in your freezer until you’re ready to bake! Then, thaw on a layer of paper towels to absorb any excess moisture (so your dough doesn’t get soggy) and bake like usual!
My Gingerbread Cookies Are Super Soft, What Went Wrong?
If your oven is too hot, your shaped dough won’t get that crisped edge you would associate with classic gingerbread cookies. Moderate baking helps get your gingerbread to structural integrity strong enough to stand on its own or support buildings like gingerbread houses — so don’t go trying to speed up the process with a hotter oven!
My Gingerbread Cookies Are Too Spicy! How Can I Fix It?
Adding too much ginger to a dough can’t be undone, but it can be mitigated! Complementary flavors like honey, sugar, and lemon zest can help mellow out the flavor of excess ginger by contributing, instead, to the overall sweetness or acidity of the dough.
Serving Suggestions
Aside from a cold glass of milk, gingerbread cookies go well with festive desserts like peppermint bark popcorn and red velvet shortbread cookies! If you’re not feeling up to decorating your gingerbread cookies with candies and icing, try a delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting (that’s surprisingly healthy!)
Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a thick dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and flatten into discs. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out one disc of dough on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes or until edges are firm but centers are still soft.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and decorate.
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