Gingerbread Recipe
Posted Dec 12, 2024
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This classic gingerbread recipe is moist, sweet and perfectly spiced. It’s the best gingerbread and a delicious holiday dessert.
This classic gingerbread recipe is a festive holiday dessert, just like like these soft gingerbread cookies & gingerbread men!
It’s moist with a perfect crumb, deliciously sweet and has just the right amount of spice. The rich molasses flavor makes it absolutely irresistible.
Learn how to make gingerbread just like grandma use to with this perfect gingerbread recipe.
Gingerbread Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter and vegan butter are good substitutes.
- Light brown sugar. dark brown sugar works great in this recipe.
- Molasses. use unsulphured or light molasses– not blackstrap molasses. Please trust me.
- Spices (ginger, cinnamon cloves, & nutmeg). The quality and freshness of the spices you use will matter in the final outcome of these soft gingerbread cookies. I believe I have worked out the perfect ratio of sweet and spicy, but you can adjust them to your liking if necessary.
- Sea Salt. I only ever bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you are using iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount of salt by half.
- Whole milk. For the glaze you can use 2% milk, half and half or heavy cream instead of whole milk.
How to Make Gingerbread
Let’s walk through this gingerbread recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by combining the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and sea salt in a medium bowl. Then, set it aside.
Next, beat the butter and brown sugar until light (about 1 minute) either in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer.
Then, add the molasses and eggs and beat until combined.
Stir in milk and vanilla on low speed.
Once the mixture is smooth, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir on low speed.
Then, evenly spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake the gingerbread in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the gingerbread comes out clean or with a few crumbs and the cake is no longer “jiggly.”
Do not disturb
Try not to disturb the gingerbread in the oven, and make sure it’s fully baked or it could sink after baking.
Place the gingerbread in the pan on a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
Once cool, lift the gingerbread out of the pans and remove the parchment paper. Let cool completely on the wire cooling rack.
Serve
Once cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve with homemade whipped cream.
Or, you can frosting the gingerbread with vanilla buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting.
Store/Freeze
Store leftover gingerbread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, or you could carefully warm it in the microwave or oven set to “warm.”
Gingerbread Recipe FAQS
No. Do not use blackstrap molasses. I tried it and the results were not good. Use a sweeter, lighter variety like this unsulfured molasses.
Yes, double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13″ pan.
I suggest serving this recipe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of homemade whipped cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Also, pair it with a mug of homemade eggnog or hot chocolate.
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Gingerbread Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses (unsulphured or light- not blackstrap)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk (room temperature)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a 9×9” pan with parchment paper and grease well. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and sea salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar until light (about 1 minute) either in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer.
- Then, add the molasses and eggs and beat until combined.
- Beat in milk and vanilla on low speed.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir on low speed,
- Evenly spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the gingerbread comes out clean or with a few crumbs and the cake is no longer “jiggly.”
- Place the gingerbread in the pan on a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- Once cool, lift the gingerbread out of the pans and remove the parchment paper. Let cool completely on the wire cooling rack.
- Once cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve with homemade whipped cream.
Video
Notes
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter and vegan butter are good substitutes.
- Light brown sugar. dark brown sugar works great in this recipe.
- Molasses. use unsulphured or light molasses– not blackstrap molasses. Please trust me.
- Spices (ginger, cinnamon cloves, & nutmeg). The quality and freshness of the spices you use will matter in the final outcome of these soft gingerbread cookies. I believe I have worked out the perfect ratio of sweet and spicy, but you can adjust them to your liking if necessary.
- Sea Salt. I only ever bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you are using iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount of salt by half.
- Whole milk. For the glaze you can use 2% milk, half and half or heavy cream instead of whole milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
