Gingerbread Cookies

This Gingerbread Cookie recipe is a no-fail classic Christmas cookies recipe made with molasses and a simple royal icing. Follow our tutorial for the best gingerbread cookies - perfect for the holidays!

Course Baking, Cookies, Dessert, Edible Gift

Cuisine American, Canadian, Christmas, Cookies, Holiday

Keyword Gingerbread cookies

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 10

Chilling 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings cookies

Calories 83kcal

Author Chrissie (thebusybaker.ca)

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dark molasses see notes
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Royal Icing:

1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

For the cookies:

Add the butter, sugar, along with the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer (or use a hand mixer if you prefer) and beat on high until creamy and smooth.
Beat in the molasses on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl until it's all incorporated.
Add the egg and mix well on medium speed.
Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed just until incorporated.
Shape the dough in a rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
After the dough is chilled, roll it in a 1/4 inch sheet, using flour to make sure the dough doesn't stick to the table or to the rolling pin. It is very important that you roll the dough to the same thickness all over so that your cookies are consistent and they bake the same.
Cut out the cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If there's excess flour, brush it off with a pastry brush or with your hand. We used a 2.5 inch x 3.5 inch gingerbread man cookie cutter and some slightly smaller stars, Christmas tree, and hearts.
Place the tray with the cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
Remove the cookies form the fridge and bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for 8 minutes, depending on the size and thickness. You will know they are done baking when the edges are hard but the middle is still soft.
Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for a little while until they harden.

For the royal icing:

In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the egg white with the salt until foamy.
Add the powdered sugar in gradually, mixing on medium-high speed until the sugar is dissolved and the icing is luscious.
Lastly, add the vanilla and mix well. Your icing should be thick but should flows slightly when squeezed through a piping bag. If your icing is too thin, add some more powdered sugar. If it's too stiff, add a few drops of water, gradually.
Pour the icing in a piping bag. Optionally, add a fine round piping tip to the bag.

Decoration:

Pipe the icing to your preferred pattern and let the icing dry before stacking the cookies.
Optionally, you can use food colouring in the icing, and/or sprinkles and minature candy on top of the cookies for decoration.

Video

Notes

*Baking the gingerbread

If you're using convection, preheat your oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (156 degrees Celsius) and bake the gingerbread cookies for 9-11 minutes depending on size.

A note on molasses

Light molasses is mildly sweet and less robust, with just a hint of caramel. It will give you lighter cookies with a subtle gingerbread taste.
Dark molasses is richer and more robust than light molasses, with a deeper sweetness. It's the most common choice for gingerbread as it gives the perfect mix of sweetness and warm gingerbread flavour.
Blackstrap molasses is the darkest and most concentrated molasses. It has a strong, slightly bitter flavour with less sweetness so the cookies will be less sweet with a bold, earthy flavour.

Storage

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Royal icing-decorated cookies can also be stored this way once fully dry.

Make-ahead option

The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before rolling and cutting.

Nutrition