Description
Bake fragrant gingerbread cookies! This recipe shares my personal journey to chewy, spiced perfection. Perfect for sharing or a quiet moment.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cookie Dough Essentials:
- 2 ¾ cups (350g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (160g) dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (120ml) dark molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- Warm Spice Medley:
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- Sweet Icing Accents:
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 3–4 tbsp milk or lemon juice
- Optional Sparkle & Shine:
- Sprinkles or edible glitter (for decorating)
- Food coloring (for varied icing)
Instructions
- Cream the Good Stuff:: First things first, get that softened butter and brown sugar into a mixing bowl. Beat them together on medium speed until they’re light, fluffy, and look like a dreamy, caramel cloud. This usually takes me about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often, because you want everything incorporated. This step is honestly where the magic starts for tender gingerbread cookies!
- Wet Ingredients Join the Party:: Now, crack that egg in there and pour in the molasses. Mix again until everything is just combined. Don’t go crazy with the mixer here; you’re not trying to whip it into oblivion. Just make sure there are no streaks of egg or molasses left. I once overmixed this part and my cookies ended up a bit tough, so less is more!
- Sift in the Spices:: In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Sifting is non-negotiable for me, it prevents lumps and ensures even distribution of all those glorious spices throughout your spiced cookies. Then, add this dry mixture to your wet ingredients, a little at a time.
- Mix Until Just Combined:: With the mixer on low speed, or even by hand, mix until the flour mixture is *just* incorporated. The dough for your gingerbread cookies will be soft and a bit sticky, but it shouldn’t be dry. Overmixing develops gluten, which leads to tough cookies – a mistake I’ve made more times than I’d like to admit! Stop as soon as it comes together.
- Chill Out, Dough:: Divide the dough into two discs, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and pop them in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even overnight. This chilling time is super important for your gingerbread cookies; it lets the flavors meld and makes the dough much easier to roll. I’ve tried to skip this, and it was a sticky, frustrating mess!
- Roll, Cut, and Bake!:: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters – gingerbread men, stars, whatever makes you happy! Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. They should be set around the edges but still a little soft in the middle. Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. The smell of these gingerbread cookies baking is just divine!