Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
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The sweet, warm, spiced notes of gingerbread cookies say “holiday” regardless of whether you decorate the cookies, and these are doubly tasty when paired with a hot drink. Cut the cookies into circles or make them into any shape you desire; just be mindful that baking times change with the shape. And if you want to decorate them to resemble your favorite jailbird celebrity, along with assembling a jailhouse, check this out.
What to buy: There are various intensities of molasses available, from light to blackstrap, and after trying nearly all of them, we found that dark (sometimes marketed as robust) tastes best in this dough. (It is the most traditional type to use in gingerbread, though some taste testers also enjoyed the cookies made with light molasses.) Molasses can be found at health food stores and gourmet markets.
This recipe was featured as part of our Holiday Cookies recipe slideshow.
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 3/4 cup dark molasses, such as Grandma’s Robust
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and clove in a large bowl. Whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
- Combine the sugar, butter, and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until fluffy and light, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, add the egg, and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until moist throughout, about 2 minutes. Turn the dough onto a dry, clean surface, divide it in half and form it into flat disks, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place half of the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness.
- Cut the dough into 3-inch round cookies and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Gather the remaining dough into a ball and place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before rerolling.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are brown but the centers are still soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly on the baking sheet (about 2 minutes), then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Great photo! My teens will love this!
--molasses is usually in the grocery store in 2 cup cartons, unrefrigerated. Ask.
--my recipe for molasses cookies has both brown and white sugar, plus two egg yolks (no whites) which makes them much softer. I prefer it to most gingerbread cookies, which taste anemic. I think this is from Cook's Illustrated, but I've doubled it:
2/3 c white sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c unsalted butter
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp powdered ginger
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp black pepper (yes!)
1/2 tsp salt
(blend together)
3 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
1 C dark molasses
2 tsp baking soda
(mix into dry ingred)
4 1/2 C a/p flour
(gently toss together, roll in 1 1/2" balls; bake 375 for 10-15 min.)
gingersnaps with the crinkled tops, have 3/4 cup shortening, Marg or butter your choice, they are rolled in a ball shape and dipped in colored sugar for Xmas, they crinkle after 10 min, cook 350 degrees, Soooo good, and my 27 yr old sons favorite, since he was 3, and did the sugar dipping of the cookie ball!!!!!
These have a great flavor. My only problem is that I think they're too crispy. Would using shortening in place of all or some of the butter make them less crispy? Other than that...really great cookies!
What is the difference between these and molasses cookies, the kind that look darker and have crinkled tops?
These are excellent and easy to make! And they look so pretty with icing on them.
This is a GREAT recipe!!! My daughter made them last night, and they were EXCELLENT!!!!!
This is a great recipe. The cookies freeze really well so they're perfect for making ahead.
I loved this recipe; they have the perfect amount of spice. I used a gingerbread man shape cookie cutter instead of circles.. They did get really crunchy ("gingersnap crunchy") I decorated them with royal icing and they looked and tasted awesome!
This recipe did make a ton of cookies! More when you use a smaller cookie cutter.
My co-workers at the Apple Store loved them last year!
I'm making them again this year for the people at my new job!
This was pretty good. I did use dark molasses, but I also put in some crystallized ginger. I chopped it up very small. I always use crystallized ginger in my gingerbread cookies. Excellent!