Soft, spiced, and perfectly sweetened, Gingerbread Cookies are a holiday classic that everyone loves! This recipe is my go-to for cookies that hold their shape beautifully and stay soft long after baking.

Nothing says the holidays quite like the warm aroma of gingerbread cookies baking in the oven. (Even if you don’t love the flavor of gingerbread, you have to admit they smell delicious while baking!) Gingerbread cookies are a big tradition in my family. Every year my aunt bakes dozens and dozens to gift to everyone – and she’s passed down the family recipe.

These gingerbread cookies are packed with the bold flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon and decorated with the easiest glaze. They’re soft and a little chewy, and hold their shape beautifully—perfect for cutting into all those festive shapes. Whether you’re making them for a cookie swap or creating a cozy afternoon baking activity with your kids, gingerbread cookies are a must during the holiday season!

This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, an annual virtual cookie swap. Every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes and help raise money for Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new treatments for childhood cancer. Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page and OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2024, up to $100,000.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Unsalted Butter: I use butter for these cookies because I like the flavor, but the original version of the recipe calls for vegetable shortening, which is a great option for keeping these cookies dairy free.
• Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar works.
• Molasses: A key ingredient for authentic gingerbread flavor! Use dark molasses for these cookies, not light or blackstrap.
• Egg: For an egg-free version, try using a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2.5 tablespoons water).
• All-Purpose Flour: If you need a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
• Baking Soda
• Ginger and Cinnamon Classic gingerbread spices! Cloves and nutmeg are also delicious in this recipe as well.
• Salt
• Confectioners’ Sugar
• Milk: Any non-dairy milk can be used for the frosting.
• Vanilla Extract
• Almond Extract: Optional, but a little almond extract in the frosting adds a delicious flavor.

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

1. Make the Dough. Cream the butter, brown sugar, egg, and molasses until light and fluffy. Gradually add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and spices) until the dough comes together. It will be soft but should hold its shape when pressed.

2. Chill the Dough: Shape the dough into a ball, divide the ball in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until fully chilled.

3. Roll and Cut: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Refrigerate the rolled dough for another 30 minutes, then cut out shapes using your favorite cookie cutters. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate the cut out cookies again while the oven heats.

4. Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies at 375°F for 5-6 minutes until just puffed. The edges will be starting to set but still soft in the middle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

5. Make the Frosting: Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and extracts and beat to combine. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag, chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes, and then decorate the cookies with frosting, sprinkles, and other candies.

Most Important Step: Chill the Dough!

You may have noticed that there are a lot of chilling steps in this gingerbread dough recipe. First, we chill the dough in a ball for a few hours before rolling it out. Then we roll out the dough into sheets and chill the sheets of dough for a little. Finally, we chill the cut out cookies again for just a few minutes before baking. Is all this chilling really necessary!? Yes, it is – and we can learn more with my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

Chilling gingerbread dough is essential for making the dough easier to handle and also improving the flavor and texture of the cookies. The resting time allows the flour to fully hydrate while also firming up the butter, reducing spread during baking and helping the cookies maintain their shape.

As a scientist, I love the nitty gritty details, so let’s explore the importance of chilling the dough even further!

1. Shape Retention: When you chill the dough, the butter solidifies. This is especially important with dough as soft as gingerbread because it prevents the cookies from spreading too much. Without chilling, the heat from the oven causes the fat in the dough to melt too quickly, leading to misshapen cookies.
2. Enhanced Flavor: Resting the dough gives the spices – the ginger and cinnamon – time to meld together and infuse the dough, resulting in an overall better flavor. Additionally, enzymes in the flour break down some of the starches into sugars during the rest period, enhancing the sweetness of the cookies.
3. Improved Texture: As the dough chills, the flour continues to hydrate, meaning it absorbs more moisture from the wet ingredients. This hydration leads to a more cohesive dough that is easier to roll out and less sticky.
4. Easier Handling: Chilled dough is firmer and less prone to sticking to your rolling pin or work surface. This makes it easier to roll out evenly and cut into clean, precise shapes.
5. Even Baking: By chilling the dough, you ensure that all the cookies bake at the same rate. When the butter is firm and the dough temperature is consistent, the cookies take longer to spread and bake more evenly, preventing overdone edges and underbaked centers.

For the best results, chill the dough for at least 2 hours, but overnight is even better. If you’re short on time, dividing the dough into smaller portions and chilling them individually can speed up the process. You can also freeze the dough for up to three months if you’re planning ahead for holiday baking.

Pro Tip: Let the dough warm slightly before rolling. Chilled dough can be very firm straight out of the fridge, leading to cracks when you try to roll it. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before rolling to soften slightly. The dough will still be firm enough to work with but a little easier to handle.

Frost the Cookies

I use a buttcream-based cookie frosting for these cookies, because that’s what my family has always done. This frosting is easy (seriously easy!), tastes delicious, and crusts on the cookies well (meaning that once the frosting has a chance to set, you can store the cookies directly on top of each other). It’s also puffy, giving a nice three-dimensional shape to the cookies.

The frosting also colors well – make a double batch and divide into several bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring, stir well to mix, and frost with as many colors as you’d like.

These cookies also work well with royal icing for more precise decorating or dipped in a vanilla glaze.

Recommended Tools

• Stand Mixer: To cream the butter and sugar efficiently.
• Rolling Pin: This rolling pin comes with guides to ensure the dough is rolled out evenly to an exact thickness.
• Silicone Baking Mat: Bake the cookies on a baking mat so they don’t stick to the cookie sheets.
• Cookie Sheets: I’ve owned a lot of cookie sheets in my life and these are my favorite.
• Wire Rack: Essential for cooling cookies evenly.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Soft Gingerbread Cookies

1. Double the Recipe: This recipe doubles well – and if your mixer is big enough, you can even quadruple the recipe all in one big batch!
2. Chill the Dough: Always chill the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it out. This helps the cookies hold their shape and enhances the flavor.
3. Flour Strategically: Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, but avoid using too much, as it can make the cookies dry. Brush off excess flour before baking.
4. Roll Evenly: Use rolling pin spacers or guides to ensure an even dough thickness—this prevents thinner cookies from overbaking while thicker ones stay underdone.
5. Work in Batches: If the dough warms up while you’re working, return it to the fridge between batches. Warm dough can become sticky and hard to handle.
6. Use Parchment or Silicone Mats: Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
7. Cool Completely Before Decorating: Let the cookies cool fully on a wire rack before frosting to prevent the buttercream from melting.
8. Make Ahead: The dough for these cookies can be made up to 3 months in advance and frozen before baking, or the cookies can be fully baked and frozen for up to 3 months. Allow the cookies to come to room temperature before decorating.
9. Storage: Keep the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week after baking.

More Cookie Recipes:

• Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies
• Black and White Cookies
• Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Toffee Crunch Cookies
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