Gingerbread Cookies

Decorated gingerbread person cookies on a cooling rack.

5 from 2 ratings

from kristineskitchenblog.com

These gingerbread cookies are one of our favorite cookies to bake for Christmas! They bake up soft, with the delicious flavors of warm spices, molasses and brown sugar. These cookies are fun to decorate, but also delicious enough to serve as is. I've included my simple icing recipe below, which is perfect for piping on the cookies.

Prep Time25

Cook Time9

Chilling Time2

Total Time2 34

Servings: 3-inch cookies

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Kristine Rosenblatt

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour or 1 cup each of all-purpose and whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter at room temperature
⅓ cup (67g) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (120mL) molasses not blackstrap molasses
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Simple Icing/Decorations (Optional)

1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
4-6 teaspoons water
small candies for decorating optional

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes at medium speed, until light and creamy. Add the molasses, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, ⅓ cup (67g) packed light brown sugar, ½ cup (120mL) molasses, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the flour mixture.
Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350° F.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough (it will be somewhat sticky) on a floured work surface to ¼-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut cookies into desired shapes. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about an inch apart. Re-roll scraps of dough until all dough has been used.
Baking time will vary depending on the size of your cookies. Medium (3-inch) gingerbread cookies bake for 7-9 minutes, and mini cookies bake for about 5-7 minutes. Larger cookies will take longer to bake. Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Decorate: Once cookies are cool, pipe icing onto cookies to decorate as desired. I use a piping bag and Wilton #2 piping tip to decorate these cookies. To make the icing, add the powdered sugar and vanilla to a medium bowl. Then stir in the water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing reaches your desired consistency. It should be fairly thick for piping onto the cookies. If it's too thin, stir in a little more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, stir in a little more water.
1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 4-6 teaspoons water, small candies for decorating

Video

Notes

If you use different cookie cutters to make cookies of different sizes, be sure to bake cookies that are the same size together. Otherwise, smaller cookies may over-bake in the time that it takes larger cookies to bake.
I used a piping bag and Wilton #2 piping tip to decorate these cookies. Mini food-safe squeeze bottles (linked in the post above) also work well.
This recipe makes a smallish batch (about 18 medium-sized cookies). You can double the recipe to make more cookies – I usually do!
Nutrition estimate is for cookies without icing or decorations.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.