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Bake up our favorite soft and chewy gingerbread cookie recipe with just a few simple steps – they’re perfect for decorating and sharing!
a Holiday Must-Make!
Every Christmas there are a few quintessential Christmas Cookies we always make; Snickerdoodles, Spritz Cookies, Sugar Cookies and this gingerbread cookie recipe. We make them for parties and family get togethers but especially love to create cookie plates to share with neighbors and friends.
Every since we were little, all the girls in our family would gather to make goodies and assemble these plates. This gingerbread cookie happens to be a favorite for this tradition because we think they are the CLASSIC Christmas cookie. Plus, it’s become tradition to decorate these cookies with the kids – and they love it!
With the flavors and taste of molasses, ginger and spice – we believe these gingerbread cookies even taste like Christmas and are soft, chewy and perfect.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Easy. Just 30 minutes to prep then chill, roll, and bake!
- Delicious. These cookies are soft, chewy, and more flavorful than any store-bought variety.
- Perfect for decorating. This easy cookie recipe is perfect for adding your special flair, and the kids love to get involved!
ingredients
PREP TIME: 4 hours 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
Gingerbread Men
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling out the cookies) Gluten-free flour can be used.
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger – 2 teaspoons for a stronger flavor
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon – Replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with an equal amount of Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter – see How to Soften Butter Quickly
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar – light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg – Room temperature eggs will incorporate better than cold eggs.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsulphered molasses – I use “Grandma’s Molasses – unsulphered”. Do not use sulphured or blackstrap molasses.
Royal Icing
- 1½ cups powdered sugar – sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons milk – I like whole milk, but any milk will do.
- 2 teaspoons clear corn syrup – Use light or dark corn syrup (the coloring will be affected). Do not use high fructose corn syrup.
- food coloring – use liquid, gel, or powder food coloring
Confectioners Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar – sifted
- ½ cup unsalted butter– softened
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
- food coloring – use liquid, gel, or powder food coloring.
- decorating candies – red hots, M&Ms, mini M&Ms, candy eyes, sprinkles, SMARTIES, and gumdrops
How To Make Gingerbread Cookies
- BATTER. In a medium bowl whisk 2¾ cups flour, 1½ teaspoons ground ginger, 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat ½ cup butter, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, and ⅓ cup brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ½ cup molasses.
- Carefully beat in the flour mixture until it’s all incorporated.
- Divide the dough in 2, form each half into a round disc, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
- SHAPE. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Work with one ball of dough at a time. If the dough was in the fridge overnight, you may need to let it warm up for 10-15 minutes first.
- On a well-floured countertop using a well-floured rolling pin, roll out one disc of the dough until it’s ¼-⅓ inch thick. Cut into shapes and place 1-2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- BAKE. Bake for 8-12 minutes until the tops are set. (This will depend on the size of your cookie cutters and the thickness of the dough). This yields between 25-36 cookies.
How to Decorate Your Cookies
Royal Icing
- COMBINE. Whisk 1½ cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons corn syrup, and 1-2 tablespoons milk. Mix in a little more milk or powdered sugar as necessary.
- Divide into small bowls and mix with food coloring.
- Decorate the cookies using piping bags, or a knife. I like to use disposable piping bags and a 4M tip.
Buttercream Frosting
- COMBINE. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat ½ cup butter until fluffy.
- Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time, then beat in 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream. Add in a little extra powdered sugar or milk/cream as necessary.
- Divide the icing into small bowls and mix with food coloring.
- Frost the cookies using piping bags or a knife.
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Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Bake up our favorite soft and chewy gingerbread cookie recipe with just a few simple steps – they're perfect for decorating and sharing!
Equipment
Ingredients
Gingerbread Men
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the cookies
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger, or use 2 tsp for a stronger flavor
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsulphered molasses, spray the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray first to avoid sticking
Royal Icing
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons clear corn syrup
- food coloring
Confectioners Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
- food coloring
Instructions
Gingerbread Men
- In a medium bowl whisk flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and molasses.
- Carefully beat in the flour mixture until it's incorporated.
- Divide the dough in 2, form each half into a round disc, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Work with one ball of dough at a time. If the dough was in the fridge overnight, you may need to let it warm up for 10-15 minutes first.
- On a well-floured countertop using a well-floured rolling pin, roll out one disc of the dough until it's about ¼ inch thick. Cut into shapes and place 1-2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until the tops are set. (This will depend on the size of your cookie cutters and the thickness of the dough). This yields between 25-36 cookies.
Royal Icing
- Whisk powdered sugar, corn syrup, and milk. Mix in a little more milk or powdered sugar as necessary.
- Divide into small bowls and mix with food coloring.
- Decorate the cookies using piping bags, or a knife. We use disposable piping bags and a 4M tip.
Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy.
- Beat in powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time, then beat in 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream. Add in a little extra powdered sugar or milk/cream as necessary.
- Divide the icing into small bowls and mix with food coloring.
- Frost the cookies using piping bags or a knife.
Video
Notes
Pro tip. The dough must stay chilled otherwise it can spread too much in the oven producing a thin flat cookie. Also, be sure that you roll the dough between ¼-⅓ inch thick.
Freeze the dough. Instead of refrigerating the dough, place it into a freeze Ziploc and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
Store. Let the frosting set then store in an airtight container for 3-5 days or place cookies in a freezer-safe bag, separate layers with parchment paper, and freeze for up to 3 months. (Note that any candy decorations may fall off in the freezer.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 178kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 54mg, Potassium: 94mg, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 185IU, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 0.8mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
How to store?
Let the frosting set then store in an airtight container for 3-5 days or place cookies in a freezer-safe bag, separate layers with parchment paper, and freeze for up to 3 months. (Note that any candy decorations may fall off in the freezer.)
How to freeze cookie dough?
Instead of wrapping and refrigerating the dough, place it into a freezer Ziploc and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before rolling.
Loved this recipe! I used Better Batter All Purpose gluten-free flour instead of regular wheat flour because my family is gf!! The taste is so good and gingery just how we like them (we used the 2tsp ginger for extra!) ! We absolutely loved them and they were so easy to make. They turned out perfectly!! Thank you!
Something about these cookies is off. Followed the recipe exactly, but for some reason they don’t taste very good.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try.
I made these with my kids and they were easy enough to make and they could help! We had fun decorating them too, thank you!
These were SO GOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing!
These are so fun to make and decorate and so good!!
I thought that these would keep their thickness when they cooled, but they didn’t. Are they supposed to be thicker cookies?
Ours usually turn out about as thick as you can see in the pictures. Chilling the dough helps and depending on how thick you roll out the dough, that can make a difference too. I wouldn’t say they are really thick… they will thin out a little as they bake. But they aren’t super thin either if you chill/roll them thick enough.
I made these and they were delicious. My kids also got in on the fun and had a blast decorating their own gingerbread cookies.
I love your recipe!! Will never use any other. Have shared with family & friends and some have made it and love it!! Thank you so much!
I really loved this recipe. Really easy and not overly sweet. You have to chill them! I’ll definitely make these again.
You did not include how much flour ,etc
All of the ingredients are listed at the bottom of the post. There’s a button right at the top that says “Jump to Recipe” and it’ll take you to all the measurements. 🙂 Here’s a quick link: https://lilluna.com/gingerbread-cookie-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-90572
Can’t wait to try these! Gingerbread cookies are my favorite!
What do you do so cookies don’t spread too much while baking them?
The biggest thing I’d say is to make sure to chill the dough for long enough. That’ll help the dough not be too sticky to roll out and cut. I sometimes like to roll my dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper too so it doesn’t warm up too much and keeps it from being too sticky.
Half cup is far too much molasses, unless you are using an extremely weak brand. Sigh…. I will have to significantly reduce the amount of molasses next time (didn’t even use black strap).
Thanks for your feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Amazing recipe! This has completed this year’s Christmas baking.
Yay!! Glad to hear that! Thank you for trying it!
I love intense ginger flavor. Has anyone tried using more than 2 tsp of ginger?
These were wonderfully soft, and very tasty, even though I could only get really dark molasses.
I love to hear that! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
every year I make a good variety of goodies (usually 7 to 8 different treats) for cookie plates and neighbor tins and it hit me – in all my years i had never made gingerbread men! they are such a big part of christmas i really don’t know why i never thought of them! I decided to give this recipe a try, i didn’t want hard cookies, i wanted crisp edges and chewy centers and these delivered. I got 22 cookies out of a batch and i’m now hoping i made enough……they’re hard to resist lol Good thing these are so easy to whip up in case they disapper too soon
Thank you for trying this recipe! Yes, they are gone too fast!! Thank you for letting me know!
First time ever making gingerbread cookies and I loved them. Very easy and delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
You are so welcome!! So glad you tried this recipe & loved them! Thank you!
This was my first time making gingerbread cookies and this recipe was easy and so yummy! everyone loved them!
Thank you for trying them! Happy that everyone liked it!
Other than the chill time these are quick and easy to make. Definitley a Traditional must Make treat. The kIds Have fun deCorating the gingerbread.
Can I use this recipe for a gingerbread house?
I have never tried it to make gingerbread houses before. The centers of the cookies are soft. You could possibly bake longer to make a harder cookie but still not totally sure how it would turn out for a house. You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you do use the recipe for a gingerbread house.
These are a must-make each holiday season! We have so much fun decorating them!
sooo cute! i love gingerbread cookies and these were so good! thanks for a great recipe!
A favorIte chriStmas cookie to make. Fun to decorate.
Love the rich flavor!! We’ve made it a family tradition to decorate these little guys. my family loves it!
Kristyn, thank you!
You are so welcome!!
My children love gingerbread cookies very much!
Thanks for the recipe, by the way, I have never used cinnamon, but added lemon zest.
After all, these cookies are not only tasty. But also very useful. It is proved that ginger improves digestion and increases resistance to viral diseases, and in winter it is more important than ever.
Sincerely, Vanessa, tutor,
freelance writer.
Thank you so much for sharing all that!! I’m glad I like ginger!
Do these cookies spread very much , i’m looking for cookie recipe that doesn’t loose it’s shape
This recipe is from a contributor, but it sure looks like they keep their shape. I have yet to try them.