These white chocolate gingerbread cookies make the perfect holiday dessert. This classic recipe is so easy to make and contain all the best flavors of Christmas!
These white chocolate gingerbread cookies are one of our favorite classic Christmas recipes.
If you're looking for a classic gingerbread recipe that doesn't require being rolled and decorated, and will make all cookie lovers go week in the knees, then consider your search over.
These White Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies are the perfect addition to any cookie tray! They are both chewy and soft and are not sickeningly sweet. They have a rich, spicy flavor that is beautifully complimented by the white chocolate chips, and are just all around irresistible.
How to make White Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
This is your basic, classic cookie recipe. there's nothing fancy to see here! But here are a few notes and tips to make sure that these cookies turn out perfectly every time!
- Batch size. I just wanted to note that I scaled this recipe down so that it makes 12-14 cookies when using a small cookie scoop (or about 2TBS dough per cookie). I did this because my family loves to make lots of cookies in the month of December, and we prefer smaller batches of many different varieties. If you'd like to make more, simply double (or triple) the recipe!
- Chill the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight. This will ensure beautiful cookies and will prevent them from flattening during baking.
- Mixing. I use my Kitchen Aid mixer but if you have a hand mixer that works great too!
Store
Store these white chocolate chip gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can also put them on a plate wrapped with plastic wrap to give to friends as a gift for the holidays!
Freeze
Freeze the baked cookies for up to 1 month in an airtight container in the freezer.
I prefer to freeze the dough, rather than baked cookies. To do this follow these instructions:
- Roll the dough into balls
- Place dough balls onto a cooking sheet
- Flash-freeze them in the freezer until hard.
- Transfer to an airtight, freezer-friendly container or ziplock back and store until ready to bake.
- To bake: remove cookie dough from freezer and let come to room temperature, then follow recipe instructions and bake.
Recipe FAQs
Storing them in an airtight container is the best way to ensure these soft gingerbread cookies stay fresh!
I recommend using a dark, unsulphured molasses. Do not use blackstrap.
Yes, if you'd like to make a lot of cookies double the recipe.
White Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cookies: Substitutions
As always I recommend making this recipe exactly as written, but here are a few possible substitutions!
- Butter. I use salted butter in this recipe. Unsalted butter also works well, you may just need to increase the amount of sea salt.
- Brown Sugar. I recommend light brown sugar for this gingerbread cookie recipe! However if you like a little bolder, molasses taste then you can use dark brown sugar!
- Molasses. I recommend using unsulphured molasses to make these soft gingerbread cookies.
- All-purpose flour. I bake with unbleached, purpose flour. You can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend to make these cookies gluten-free.
- Spices (ginger, cinnamon & cloves). 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.
- White Chocolate Chips. Only use high-quality white chocolate in baking! Read the ingredient list. If cocoa butter and sugar aren't the first two ingredients then do not buy them. My favorite variety in taste, texture and quality of ingredients is the Trader Joe's brand white chocolate chips.
- If white chocolate chips aren't your thing, then feel free to substitute butterscotch or cinnamon chips for amazing results!
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White Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cups packed brown sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- 3 TBS molasses
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt) together in a small bowl, set aside.
- In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar for two minutes.
- Add molasses, egg and vanilla to the butter/brown sugar mixture and beat for 60 seconds or until mixture becomes lighter brown.
- Add dry ingredients and beat until combined.
- add white chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
- Put dough in airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Use a small cookie scoop, or roll 2 TBS portions of dough into balls by hand and place on prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes in preheated oven until tops are set.
- Let the cookie sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool!
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Butter. I use salted butter in this recipe. Unsalted butter also works well, you may just need to increase the amount of sea salt.
- Brown Sugar. I recommend light brown sugar for this gingerbread cookie recipe! However if you like a little bolder, molasses taste then you can use dark brown sugar!
- Molasses. I recommend using unsulphured molasses to make these soft gingerbread cookies.
- All-purpose flour. I bake with unbleached, purpose flour. You can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend to make these cookies gluten-free.
- Spices (ginger, cinnamon & cloves). 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.
- White Chocolate Chips. Only use high-quality white chocolate in baking! Read the ingredient list. If cocoa butter and sugar aren't the first two ingredients then do not buy them. My favorite variety in taste, texture and quality of ingredients is the Trader Joe's brand white chocolate chips.
- If white chocolate chips aren't your thing, then feel free to substitute butterscotch or cinnamon chips for amazing results!
Store
Store these white chocolate chip gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can also put them on a plate wrapped with plastic wrap to give to friends as a gift for the holidays!Freeze
Freeze the baked cookies for up to 1 month in an airtight container in the freezer. I prefer to freeze the dough, rather than baked cookies. To do this follow these instructions:- Roll the dough into balls
- Place dough balls onto a cooking sheet
- Flash-freeze them in the freezer until hard.
- Transfer to an airtight, freezer-friendly container or ziplock back and store until ready to bake.
- To bake: remove cookie dough from freezer and let come to room temperature, then follow recipe instructions and bake.
Nutrition
This is a recipe made with butter, and flour, and molasses, and love. These White Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cookies hold a special place in my heart because they are adapted from a recipe given to me by a friend many years ago.
When Ritch and I were first married we lived in a condominium in the suburbs of Chicago. We were blessed with the best neighbors, especially a couple who lived on the floor below us.
They were fellow believers, and foodies and the husband was also a science teacher! We had so much in common and loved our time of fellowship together!
We were always exchanging the goodies we made, and these White Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cookies were one of my favorites my friend ever left on our doorstep!
Even though it has been years since we have seen each other, I had lost the recipe and reached out to her to see if she still had it, because I had to make her cookies again! I made a few tweaks, here you have the best White Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cookies you will ever eat in your life!
More of our favorite cookie recipes:
- The BEST Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Classic snickerdoodles!
- The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!
- The BEST Oatmeal Cookies Ever!
- Flourless peanut butter blossoms
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Yolanda
I’m gearing up to make these for next weekend. Thank heaven for the tip on Trader Joe’s white chocolate chips, because I clicked the link for cinnamon chips, and holy moley!!! They are $14/bag or more!!! I’ll post another comment (photo?) after I make these.
Laura
The cinnamon chips can be found at a reasonable price at many stores like Walmart, Kroger, etc. They're "in season" now so they should not be difficult to find.
Julia D Whaling
Do you thinking using Coconut sugar will work well>?
Aly
Delicious! I made them without the white chocolate chips and they were delicious! Second year making these
For me 🙂
Carolina Gonzalez
I made these cookies and they were delish!!! I love white chocolate!! The only thing is that mine didn’t look like the pic. I don’t know what I did wrong. However, the flavor was there! Will be repeating the recipe and hopefully they come out like the pic!
C.S.
These were terrific and will be a new holiday favorite at our house. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Diane Wilkins
This looks delicious! Definitely gonna it a try and hope it will turn out excellent. Thanks for sharing.
Emily Swanson
YUMMMY! Now we just need to get our batch of molasses from the store so we can start doing gingerbread. I love how you mixed white chocolate with gingerbread flavors. 🙂 I also really appreciate that you scaled it down for a smaller recipe; we like making smaller recipes of different kinds too. Although we do make quite a few sugar cookies when we do make them and frost them all!
Jennifer Bliss
LOVELY food photos as always!