Description
Bake a batch of soft, spicy chewy gingerbread cookies! My family’s cherished recipe guarantees a warm, festive treat with a perfect chew.
Ingredients
Scale
- Dry Mix Magic:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Wet Mix Wonders:
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sparkle & Shine:
- ½ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Creaming the Foundation:: First things first, get that unsalted butter and dark brown sugar together in a big bowl. Cream them until they’re light and fluffy, like a cloud, for about 2-3 minutes. I usually use my stand mixer for this, but a hand mixer works too. You want to see that color lighten and the texture get airy. This step is crucial for the chewiness, so don’t rush it! I sometimes get impatient, but trust me, it’s worth the wait.
- Adding the Wet Wonders:: Next up, pour in that lovely molasses, followed by the room temperature egg and a good splash of vanilla extract. Beat everything until it’s just combined. You might notice it looks a little… separated at first, but keep going, it’ll come together. Don’t overmix here, though; we’re just getting these wet ingredients acquainted. It should smell wonderfully sweet and spicy already!
- Whisking the Dry Magic:: In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together your all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Give it a really good whisk to make sure all those spices are evenly distributed. There’s nothing worse than biting into a chewy gingerbread cookie that has a clump of undissolved baking soda, am I right? I’ve made that mistake before, and it was not pleasant!
- Combining for Chewy Gingerbread Cookies:: Now, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to your wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Stop as soon as you see no more dry streaks of flour. Overmixing develops the gluten too much, and we want tender, chewy gingerbread cookies, not tough ones! The dough will be soft and a bit sticky, which is totally normal. Resist the urge to add more flour!
- Chilling for Success:: This is the hardest part for me: wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even overnight. Chilling helps the flavors meld and makes the dough much easier to handle. Honestly, I’ve tried skipping this step in a hurry, and the cookies spread way too much. Learn from my impatience, hon!
- Rolling and Baking Your Chewy Gingerbread Cookies:: Once chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour some granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough, roll it into a ball, and then roll it in the sugar to coat completely. Place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look soft. They’ll firm up as they cool. That crackled top, that spicy smell—pure joy!