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Soft and chewy Gingerbread Cookies recipe made with a simple gingerbread recipe and decorated however you like! Everyone loves this classic recipe and they taste delicious!
Looking for more holiday treats? Don't miss our Ginger Molasses Cookies, Caramel Popcorn, or Chocolate Fudge! And don't miss my Christmas Dinner Menu Ideas!
When I was young, we often decorated the “kids” Christmas tree with gingerbread cookies and it made the house smell amazing. This is the BEST recipe for soft, chewy gingerbread cookies.
What I LOVE about them:
- Soft and Chewy: Gingerbread cookies have a reputation for being hard and crispy, but not this recipe! Follow my baking tips and they will turn out perfectly soft and chewy.
- Make Ahead or Freeze: You can prepare the chewy gingerbread cookies or dough in advance. See tips below in the post.
- Fun to Decorate: Kids of all ages love decorating Christmas gingerbread man cookies so plan it for your next Christmas party! You can make the soft gingerbread cookies and frosting ahead of time so that the kids can just enjoy decorating.
How to make Gingerbread Cookies:
Gingerbread is made with the following simple ingredients: brown sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, butter, milk, and molasses!
Make the Gingerbread: Mix flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add chunks of butter and incorporate them with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix in the molasses and milk until combined.
Refrigerate: Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 hours or overnight.
Roll the Dough: When ready to bake, roll out the dough to ½ inch thickness, use cookie cutters to cut gingerbread men, and place them on your cookie sheet. Bake them for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Once cool, frost and decorate, if desired! You can use any kind of frosting or icing, and candy. It really is the best gingerbread cookies recipe!
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Make the gingerbread and store it, well covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Roll out and cut into cookies when ready to bake. You can also bake the cookies and freeze them.
To Freeze: wrap the dough really well in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Freeze for 2-3 months. Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before attempting to roll. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
For more holiday magic, try roasting chestnuts!
Gingerbread Man Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer optional
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, , packed
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 Tablespoons butter, , room temperature, cut into 12 pieces
- 3/4 cup molasses, (dark molasses)
- 2 Tablespoons milk
For the frosting:
- 2 Tablespoons butter, , room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt to a mixing bowl and mix.3 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup dark brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the butter pieces and use a pastry blender to cut the butter in until the mixture resembles fine meal.12 Tablespoons butter
- With a mixer running on low speed gradually add the molasses and milk and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.¾ cup molasses, 2 Tablespoons milk
- Divide the dough in half, forming each into a ball. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, or place in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until firm, if you’re in a hurry. (Refrigeration is mandatory or the dough will be too sticky to handle).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove one dough sheet from the fridge/freezer and place on a well floured counter. Lightly flour the top of the dough and the rolling pin and roll out the dough (dust with a little more flour if needed), until it’s about ½ inch thick. Cut gingerbread men and place them on prepared baking sheets.
- Refrigerate the gingerbread men for 5 minutes (meanwhile you can roll out the other dough ball).
- Bake the cookies until set in the centers and the dough barely retains and imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes (depending on the size of your cookie cutter). Do not overbake!!
- Remove the cookies to a wire rack. Allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.
- Store gingerbread cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
For the frosting:
- Add butter, milk, and 1 cup of powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix until smooth. Add additional cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add frosting to piping bag if desired.2 Tablespoons butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons milk
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe December 2018. Updated December 2020 and November 2022.
Process photos by Nikole from The Travel Palate
This is my second year making this recipe and it is a winner. The softest and best tasting gingerbread cookies.
sorry to bother but where are the comments? Also cookies are amazing
I didn’t yet bake the dough but before it is cooked should it taste a bit like molasses?
The reason I chose this gingerbread recipe was I thought all the 1 star reviews were hilarious, and there was no way these extremely angry people could be of sound mind. I followed the recipe down to the exact instructions. I Did Not Use An Egg! Can you believe it? Maybe this baker who wrote this recipe down for us actually knows what she’s doing. And you know what? The world did not end when these eggless cookies were baked. In fact, I even followed the instructions on what type of molasses to buy. Could the infuriated people who made these cookies before me and chose to warn the world of home bakers to not bother, possibly have used the wrong molasses? Idk, only Santa can judge. But, anyways, these gingerbread people that were decorated by my family and I today were the tastiest, softest, yummiest gingerbread cookies that have ever graced my kitchen. I will forever use this recipe and I will ask Santa to not give coal to those who can’t follow recipes.
Your message absolutely made our day! 😄 It’s amazing to hear how you embraced the recipe with such a great attitude, despite the mixed reviews. You’re right, sometimes it’s all about trusting the process (and the baker behind it!). So thrilled to hear your eggless gingerbread cookies turned out to be a hit. It sounds like you and your family had a wonderful time baking and decorating them. Thanks for giving the recipe a chance and for bringing such joy into your kitchen!!
Your recipes are so great. I always double the spice in gingerbread, but yours came out delish as is! And if you pre bake the flour… you can eat this dough as frozen dough nites easy peasy! (Or eat the entire thing out of the bowl asap as I often do!) I suggest doubling… tripling… quadrupling this recipe!!! Its that good.
Dough crumbles, definitely better recipes out there. Clearly the reviews don’t justify the final outcome.
The texture was nice on this cookie but its seriously lacking flavor! Never had such a bland gingerbread cookie. I only give 3 because I do love thw texture
I just pulled the last pan out of the oven, and they came out perfectly! I made 2 modifications- I added an egg (only because I have never made cookies without eggs!) and rolled them a bit thinner. The flavor is perfect- rich with just the right spice kick at the end.
Thank you for sharing this recipe- I will definitely use it again!
My dough is very dry and I followed the instructions as listed. I was able to make a ball but fear it will fall apart when I roll it out. Also my dough was much darker than the dough shown in the video.
These turned out fine for me. Too bad for all the nasty, childish one star reviews. Mine did not taste overpoweringly of molasses, then again I used standard baking molasses (Grandma’s Kitchen, I think) so maybe “dark molasses” is too much? There are lighter molasses on the market that people can buy if they’re so aversive to it, but then again making a molasses based cookie maybe isn’t such a great idea if you are. Furthermore the amount of ginger is obviously a lot so just halve the spices. – Do people really not know how to do this? Baking to your taste is always about experimentation, you want it perfect go buy it in the store. Learn to adult. Sorry, not sorry. Totally laughing at all the Karens who are going to mess themselves reading my review. Tough love. The dough was manageable. I didn’t roll out cookies at 1/2″ only 3/8″ made more than 3 dozen 3″ star shaped cookies. Rolling was better at near room temp with a non stick pin covered in flour. I think 2 hr chill is sufficient. Taste and texture is decent, didn’t knock my socks off. Might make again.
I made these last year (and loved them!) but can’t recall if I used salted or unsalted butter. Can you please advise? Thanks!