This gingerbread cookie recipe makes soft & chewy, perfectly spiced, molasses-sweetened holiday cookies that are everyone's favorite. This gingerbread man recipe rolls well into shapes and the glaze hardens with a beautiful shine so they can be packaged and given as gifts.
In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder cinnamon, ginger, cloves nutmeg and sea salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar for 1 minute, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add molasses, egg and vanilla and beat for 60-90 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and light-brown.
Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
Lay out a rectangle of plastic wrap, put the dough on top and form it into a thick, flat disc. Wrap it tightly with the plastic wrap. Chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
On a floured work surface, roll out dough until it’s ½ inch thick (you want them to be thick so they stay soft). Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter and cut the dough into men shapes (or whatever shape you’d prefer: stars, stockings, etc.)
Place them on the prepared cookie sheet 1” apart.
Re-form the dough scraps into a ball, roll it out and repeat.
Bake for 7-8 minutes in preheated oven until tops look just set (I bake for 7 minutes – be very careful not to overbake).
Let the gingerbread cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Glaze
In small bowl, combine glaze ingredients. Stir until smooth.
Transfer to a piping bag.
Decorate the cooled cookies as desired.
Let sit at room temperature until glaze is hardened.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
SaltedButter. Unsalted butter and vegan butter work well in this recipe too.
Egg. Make sure the egg is room temperature! I have not made this recipe with an egg substitute, so if you do let me know in the comments below.
Light brown sugar. If you want to add to the molasses taste then you can use dark brown sugar.
Molasses. Use unsulphured or light molasses- not blackstrap molasses.
Vanilla extract. Please only use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for the best taste!
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.
Whole milk. For the glaze you can use 2% milk, half and half or heavy cream instead of whole milk.
Store/Freeze Baked CookiesStore these gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. I recommend putting a sheet of wax paper between the layers of cookies.How to Freeze Dough
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
Roll out the dough and cut it into your desired shapes.
Place the unbaked shapes onto the prepared baking sheet and freeze.
Once frozen, transfer the gingerbread cookie dough to an airtight container (glass Tupperware or ziplock bag) until you'd like to bake it.
To bake: remove frozen cookie dough balls and set them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let thaw at room temperature, and bake according to the recipe instructions once the cookie dough is no longer frozen.