Gingerbread Cookies with Spice (Printer-friendly)
Crisp-edged, soft-centered gingerbread treats infused with warm holiday spices, great for sharing and decorating.
# What You Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tablespoon ground ginger
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
04 - ½ teaspoon ground cloves
05 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - ½ teaspoon ground allspice
07 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
09 - ½ teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
10 - ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
12 - ½ cup granulated sugar
13 - 1 large egg
14 - ⅔ cup unsulfured molasses
15 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ For Decorating (optional)
16 - Royal icing or powdered sugar
17 - Sprinkles or decorative candies
# How to Make It:
01 - Whisk together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Add egg to the creamed mixture, then blend in molasses and vanilla extract until fully combined.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture on low speed until a soft dough forms.
05 - Divide dough into two equal discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough disc to ¼-inch thickness and cut into shapes using cookie cutters.
08 - Place cut cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
09 - Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are firm and centers remain slightly soft.
10 - Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with royal icing and sprinkles if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The edges crisp up while centers stay chewy, giving you two textures in one bite.
- One batch makes 24 cookies that actually taste homemade, not like a box mix.
- These spices balance so perfectly that even without frosting, they're absolutely craveable.
02 -
- Molasses is the non-negotiable backbone here—dark, unsulfured molasses gives authentic gingerbread depth that honey or corn syrup simply cannot replicate.
- Chilling the dough isn't optional or a suggestion, it's the difference between cookies that hold their shape and ones that turn into flat wafers.
- The baking window of 8–10 minutes is real and critical—two extra minutes makes them hard and crumbly instead of perfectly chewy.
03 -
- Softer cookies come from the lower end of the baking time—pull them at 8 minutes if you want centers that stay chewy rather than firm.
- Room temperature butter and egg are essential because they cream and combine smoothly, creating a better texture than cold ingredients rushed together.