Description
Easiest Gingerbread Cookies Recipe: Bake tender, spiced perfection with no fuss! My simple, proven method guarantees warm, delicious holiday treats.
Ingredients
Scale
- Dough Essentials:
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- Sweeteners & Flavor:
- ¾ cup (150g) dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (120ml) dark unsulphured molasses
- Warm Spices:
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Leavening & Salt:
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cream the Goodness:: First things first, grab your softened butter and dark brown sugar. Pop them into a large mixing bowl – or your stand mixer if you’re feeling fancy. Cream them together until they’re light and fluffy, usually about 2-3 minutes. This step is super important for that tender cookie texture. I always aim for a pale, whipped look; you can practically feel the air being incorporated, making them soft later. Don’t rush this part, it really makes a difference, honestly!
- Wet Ingredients Party:: Next, crack in that large egg and pour in the molasses. Mix it all up until everything is just combined. You’ll notice the color deepen and the mixture take on that rich, sticky molasses texture. This is where the magic starts to happen, honestly. I love the smell of the molasses hitting the creamy butter, it just screams ‘holiday baking’! Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets thoroughly mixed; I always forget that bit and find streaks of unmixed goodness later.
- Spice It Up:: In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure all those warm spices are evenly distributed. This is where you start to smell the holiday spirit, trust me! I remember one time I just dumped them in without whisking, and ended up with little pockets of pure ginger in some cookies. Not exactly what I was going for, haha!
- Combine & Conquer:: Gradually add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix! Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, and we want tender cookies, not tough ones. The dough will be thick and a bit sticky, but that’s what we’re looking for. It’s a beautiful, dark, fragrant dough now; I just want to sneak a taste, but resist the urge for now!
- Chill Out, Dough!:: Now, divide your dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and pop them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2-3 days. Chilling the dough is essential for easy rolling and prevents the cookies from spreading too much. I’ve definitely skipped this step in a fit of impatience and ended up with blobby cookies. Learn from my mistakes, hon!
- Roll, Cut, Bake:: Once chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out your shapes using gingerbread cutters – or whatever festive shapes you have! Place them on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just set. They’ll be soft when you take them out, but they’ll firm up as they cool. The smell is absolutely divine, a true Easiest Gingerbread Cookies Recipe moment!