A soft gingerbread cookie recipe that is perfect for decorating! These festive cookies are packed with flavor and won’t disappoint!
I have long been on the hunt for the perfect gingerbread cookie recipe. I wanted something soft but good for decorating like my cut-out sugar cookie recipe but also really flavorful. I often found that I was disappointed in many of the gingerbread cookie recipes I tried – either they were too greasy or they were bland and dry.
This recipe truly is the best gingerbread cookie recipe!! It’s so easy but packed with flavor and has a perfect texture.
I do refrigerate the dough – but only for 5 minutes! The trick is to make the dough, roll it out and cut it, and then refrigerate the cut-out cookies on the baking sheets for just a short time. This makes certain they won’t spread too much.
Gingerbread Icing
Told you it was perfection! My icing skills though, obviously need some work! Ha! But I’m sure there are much more creative people out there. I use a simple icing – just milk and powdered sugar with a little bit of vanilla.
This icing hardens nicely on the cookies after they are finished and is great for jobs like this where the icing isn’t really the star of the show – just an accent piece.
I do love the cute little gingerbread man cookies, but I love decorating the other shapes too. The trees and stars are my favorites, but I think that is because it’s easy for me to make them look decent. 🙂
Tips for Perfect Gingerbread Cookies
Always remember when baking that the amount of flour you use may need adjusting based on your elevation and even the weather. This dough needs to be thick enough to roll out and cut pretty easily, it will stick if there isn’t a little bit of flour on the board.
And don’t forget!! I have a huge, helpful post about freezing, storing, and making Christmas cookies ahead of time. Check it out!
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The Best Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Cookies
- 4 1/3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspooon maple extract
For the Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the Gingerbread Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Sift together dry ingredients.
- Cream butter and brown sugar together until well incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Add egg and molasses, mix until well combined.
- Add the orange zest, maple extract, and vanilla extract. Mix.
- Add dry ingredients, mix until combined. The texture of the dough should be firm and very slightly sticky. Add more flour if needed.
- Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick, or your desired thickness. Cut out into desired shapes.
- Place on lined cookie sheet, leaving 1/2-1 inch between cookies. Place sheet tray with cut-out cookies in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges and the tops are set.
- Let cool on the sheet tray 5 minutes. Remove from sheet tray and cool completely before icing.
For the Icing
- Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and half of the milk.
- Gradually drizzle in the milk while mixing until the icing is soft but not runny. A peak should slowly fall back onto itself when a whisk is pulled out.
Kim says
It’s me again! These cookies are amazing! That orange zest really adds something new that I’m not used to in gingery cookies, but it’s so delicious! I was a little afraid of the black pepper, so I cut it down to 1/8th tsp, which I think I liked. I also underbaked my first batch, and while they are sort of edible, I definitely like the ones that I cooked fully. (Always so hard to tell with brown dough!) Cal and Sam both had a blast cutting them out and adding sprinkles to the limited icing I piped on them (I copied your designs and decorations and I love how they turned out!). Thanks again! Merry Christmas!
Alli says
Yay!! I love that! Thank you for sharing!!
Kim says
Callie has been begging to make “cut out cookies for Santa” for days, but I’ve been wanting that yummy gingerbread flavor rather than my usual sugar cookie, so I think I’ll use this recipe to combine both our wants into one baking experience! Perfect timing on your post! Can’t wait to taste them – I love the idea of orange zest and maple flavoring and cocoa powder. Sounds yum!
Kim says
Sorry for the duplicate comments – I didn’t think it went through so I came back and didn’t see it, and then boom here they are and your reply! haha Hope you’re doing well!
Kim says
Callie has been begging to make “cut out cookies for Santa” and I’ve been wanting that yummy gingerbread flavor, so I’m going to make these and combine the two into one baking event. 🙂 perfect timing on this post!
Alli says
Awesome!! I hope you and cute Callie love the recipe.