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This homemade gingerbread cookies recipe has a delicious ginger molasses flavor. They’re perfect for decorating!
Our favorite cookies to make and decorate for Christmas are gingerbread cookies Christmas Sugar Cookies and Italian Christmas Cookies.
a Holiday Must-Make!
Every Christmas there are a few quintessential recipes that I always make; Christmas Cookies, Snickerdoodles and Gingerbread Men.
No matter how busy I get with holiday preparations, I always squeeze in the time for these 3 recipes. They’re my favorite – and Santa loves them too!
Here’s why we love them:
- Simple. This cookie has a quick prep, but does require some chill time.
- Delicious. These cookies are soft, chewy and more flavorful than the store-bought variety.
- Perfect for decorating. These cookies are perfect for adding your special flair, and the kids love to get involved!
ingredients for gingerbread cookies
- all-purpose flour
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves
- baking soda
- salt
- unsalted butter – use this post on How to Soften Butter Quickly
- sugar
- brown sugar
- Egg – Room temperature eggs will incorporate better with the other ingredients.
- vanilla extract
- unsulphered molasses – I use “Grandma’s Molasses – unsulphered”. Do not use sulphured or blackstrap molasses.
- powdered sugar
- milk – I like whole milk, but any milk will do.
- clear (light) corn syrup – you could use dark corn syrup but it will affect the coloring. Do not use high fructose corn syrup.
- food coloring – use liquid, gel, or powder food coloring.
- decorating candies – red hots, M&Ms, mini M&Ms, candy eyes, sprinkles, SMARTIES, gumdrops
How To Make Gingerbread Cookies
- DRY INGREDIENTS. Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, spices, baking soda and salt.
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugars – followed by the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract. Then add brown sugar and molasses.
- COMBINE & CHILL. Carefully mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Divide the dough into 2 balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Chilling is mandatory otherwise it’ll be too sticky to roll out and cut into shapes.
- ROLL OUT. Working with one ball of dough at a time, roll each out on a well floured surface and cut into shapes.
- Roll dough out thinner for a more crisp and crunchy cookie.
- Do not roll dough out as thin if you want more soft and thick cookies.
Gingerbread Cookie Tips
- Easy clean up. Line the baking sheet with sheets of parchment paper or a silpat.
- How much it makes. The number of cookies you can make will depend on the size of your cookie cutters – I’ve made anywhere from 25-35 cookies.
- For the gingerbread cookie icing. I’ve included a royal icing recipe and a buttercream frosting. Royal icing works better for detailed decorations, but the confectioner’s (buttercream) icing has a creamier flavor.
Storing Tips
- Make ahead of time. Cool gingerbread cookies and cover or place in an airtight container and keep in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days before using.
- FREEZE. Do this before decorating them. Place in a freezer-safe bag and separate layers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 1 month in advance.
- Let thaw overnight on the counter before decorating.
- Freeze the gingerbread cookie dough. Instead of refrigerating the wrapped dough, place it into a freeze ziploc and freeze up to one month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
For More Great Holiday Treats:
Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Gingerbread Men
- 2¾ cup 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 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 cup 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 together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Then beat in the egg, vanilla, and 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.
- 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).
Royal Icing
- Whisk together the 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. I like to use disposable piping bags and a 4M tip.
Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy.
- Beat in the powdered sugar about ½cup at a time, then beat in the 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
- Make ahead of time. Cool gingerbread cookies and cover or place in an airtight container and keep in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days before using.
- FREEZE. Do this before decorating them. Place in a freezer-safe bag and separate layers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 1 month in advance.
- Let thaw overnight on the counter before decorating.
- Freeze the gingerbread cookie dough. Instead of refrigerating the wrapped dough, place it into a freeze ziploc and freeze up to one month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!