Description
Classic homemade gingerbread cookies with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, perfect for holiday baking and decorating with icing and sprinkles.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
- 2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses, or dark molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
For the Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and fine sea salt together into a medium bowl to ensure even distribution of spices and leavening.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the unsalted butter, packed light brown sugar, and molasses on medium/high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Then add the egg and beat until fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Combine Dough: Add the sifted flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat on medium/low speed just until combined; the dough will be soft and moist.
- Chill Dough: Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. If sticky, dust with flour and pat into a disk. Divide into 3 pieces, flatten each into disks, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: On a well-floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to 1/4-inch thickness, turning dough as you roll to prevent sticking. Use a 4-5 inch cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Gather scraps, chill, and re-roll as needed.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange cookies on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes until edges begin to brown slightly but cookies remain soft. Transfer to cooling racks immediately. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Decorate (Optional): Prepare icing by stirring powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more powdered sugar or milk. Transfer to piping bags or squeeze bottles to decorate cooled cookies. Let icing set before storing.
- Store Cookies: Store baked and decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- To make icing thicker, add more powdered sugar; to thin, add more milk.
- Use piping bags and a variety of sprinkles for a festive cookie decorating party.
- If dough is too sticky to work with, dust with additional flour lightly to avoid toughening cookies.
- Do not overbake to keep cookies soft; remove as soon as edges slightly brown.
- Cookies can be wrapped and refrigerated up to 24 hours before baking for convenience.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
