These Classic Gingerbread Cookies are a great way to get into the holiday baking spirit!
Gingerbread cookies have long been one of my favorite holiday treats. In fact, I’d almost say that gingerbread cookies are my favorite cookie…but it’s really darned hard to beat a chewy oatmeal raisin cookie. (Nothing against chocolate chip cookies here…they’re just not as good as oatmeal raisin and gingerbread!) One of the first things I do every Christmas is bake up a big batch of gingerbread cookies. My wife has never been a huge fan of gingerbread…which just means more for me!
My favorite gingerbread cookie shapes are the classic gingerbread man and woman, but I often use the scraps of dough and turn them into simple round cookies. I like to keep the dough on the somewhat thicker side as it yields a chewier cookie. (But if you roll this dough out a bit thinner, then you’ll end up with crispier ginger snaps instead.) When it comes to decorating, I typically whip up an easy icing for these cookies. But another easy and fun trick is to sprinkle a generous amount of sanding sugar across the tops of the cookies before they go into the oven. The result is a sparkly cookie with a nice, sweet crunch on top. (Or you could get creative and sprinkle the tops with very finely crushed candy canes, too!)
Warning: this dough will look very crumbly once it’s mixed. However, it can easily be pressed together and rolled out into a smooth cookie dough. This dough is also pretty sticky thanks to the generous amount of molasses. I recommend chilling the dough in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before trying to roll it out. I also recommend keeping a little bowl of flour handy for whenever the dough starts to stick to the table or the rolling pin. (Don’t be afraid to generously dust your work surface with flour…nothing is worse than a cookie that’s stuck to the table!) These cookies are not only a delicious holiday treat for you and your family, but they make excellent gifts for teachers and neighbors, too.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup light molasses
- sanding sugar (for decorating)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In the medium bowl, add the flour, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Mix until well combined; set aside.
- In the bowl of a countertop mixer with the paddle attached, combine the butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until fully combined. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until fully combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. (Note: the dough will be very crumbly at this point.)
- Transfer dough to a well-floured table; roll dough to 1/4" thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Re-roll scraps of dough together and continue process until all dough has been used. (Tip: Use plenty of flour on the work surface and rolling pin to keep dough from sticking.)
- (Optional: Sprinkle a generous amount of sanding sugar across the tops of some of the cookies. Leave other cookies plain if you wish to decorate them with icing.)
- Bake cookies at 375°F for 8-9 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges. Allow cookies to cool before decorating
- In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until mixture is well combined. (If Icing is too thick, add more milk. If Icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar.)
- Transfer Icing to a piping bag or a sandwich bag with one small corner snipped off. Decorate cookies as desired.
The best holiday cookie there is! Love a good gingerbread/molasses cookie during the holidays. I swear it’s the only cookie I crave throughout November & December 🙂 your little g-men are so cute!
Same here, Julie! My wife doesn’t like gingerbread…but that doesn’t stop me from baking an entire batch and then just saving them for myself! G-men cookies? That makes them sound like little government spies or something. 🙂
Perfect timing — I have only a craptacular recipe for G-men so I will try yours. But I have NINJABREADMEN cookie cutters, of course!!
Hahaha…of course you’d have the Ninjabreadmen Cutter! (I love that one). This dough is quite delicious…it will look sticky/crumbly but give it some time and it’ll be just fine. (I expect an instagram pic of the Ninja Bread Men!)
I too love a good gingerbread cookie but I have to be in the mood to roll them out to make the shapes. Yours came out so lovely and festive!
I totally agree, Tina! I have to be in the right mindset to tackle rolling cookie dough…but it’s the holidays, so that mindset usually isn’t too far away. 🙂
Your cookies look great David! I love how perfectly shaped they are. And you decorated them perfectly. Well done!
Thank you so much, Anne!!