Recipe for Gingerbread Cookies

Want to know our favorite recipe for Gingerbread Cookies? Some gingerbread recipes are terrific for gifts as well as for your own gingerbread decorating purposes. Some recipes, of course, are better for molding gingerbread houses and gingerbread men out of, while some make better individual, undecorated gift cookies.

In general, gingerbread cookie recipes that are softer are NOT as great for cutting into shapes, especially large house parts.

The ideal recipe for gingerbread cookies for HOUSES yeilds cookies that are hard without being brittle and, especially, without tasting like cardboard.

The best gingerbread cookie for eating, in my opinion, is a much softer cookie recipe. Of course, they're ALL delicious so let's dive in!

Our Favorite Recipe for Gingerbread Cookies

• 6 cups of all purpose flour (+ extra for kneading)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup of dark brown sugar, packed
• 4 teaspoon each of ground ginger and ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 ½ cup of dark unsulfured molasses
• 2 large eggs

Directions - Phase 1 - Making Dough:

1. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder together and set aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and salt. Beat in molasses and eggs.
3. Mix the dry into the wet ingredients just until well-combined.
4. Divide the dough into thirds and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour (or overnight works even better!) Tip:Once you've placed roughly 1/3 of the dough in the center of a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and then gently press to form a round, disc-like shape. This disc shape helps immenseley when you roll out the dough later as it's already in a nice, round, flat shape.

Directions - Phase 2 - Rolling, Cutting, and Baking Dough:

1. After at least an hour in the refrigerator, heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface. You are looking for about ¼ of an inch in thickness.
3. NOTE: If your gingerbread is extra sticky, you will likely need to knead in extra flour in small amounts until the consistency is right (or try refrigerating longer!) That will help with much of the stickiness. Humidity and room temperature can make a big difference here, so just plan to add flour until it becomes less sticky. And, of course, flour your hands before kneading or ANY gingerbread will be sticky!
4. Use your pattern cut outs to help you to cut out the right sized parts for the gingerbread houses.
5. Place gingerbread cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and, ideally, chill for about 15 minutes to firm. (Don't stress if you don't have room in your refrigerator for this step. It just helps the cookies retain their shapes a bit better.)
6. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until slightly firm. Cool completely.

Here's another good Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Here's another good basic recipe for gingerbread cookies that's great for cutting into shapes AND for eating:

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add the ginger, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda, and Stir.
2. Add the melted margarine, molasses, evaporated milk, vanilla, and lemon extracts, stirring to mix.  
3. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring to mix well after each cup is added.  
4. Chill the dough for a few hours (even overnight) to make it easier to work with (optional.)  If the dough sticks to your fingers, add up to ½ cup flour.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
7. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick.
8. Lightly flour a flat surface. Roll a portion of the dough to ¼” thickness
9. Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes.
10. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
11. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (or until top springs back when touched) at 375 degrees.
12. Cool cookies on wire racks before decorating.

Standard Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Here is another favorite recipe for gingerbread cookies:

Ingredients:

• ½ c butter or margarine, softened
• ½ c white sugar
• ½ c molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 c flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together softened butter or margarine and sugar.
2. Add molasses and egg, and stir until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices.
4. Slowly pour into the creamed mixture and mix until smooth.
5. Chill the dough for at least one hour in refrigerator.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
8. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick.
9. Cut into cookies and place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
10. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
11. Cool cookies on wire racks.
12. Decorate as desired.

Soft Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/8 cup butter, softened
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the molasses, brown sugar, water and softened butter until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, allspice, ginger, cloves and cinnamon.
3. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture until all is absorbed.
4. Chill dough in covered container for at least 3 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness.
7. Cut out into desired shapes or even just squares (Note: these cookies are a bit softer than the other recipes and so smaller details may break off more easily.)
8. Place cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
10. Cool on wire racks.

More Recipes

See our Recipes Page for lots more gingerbread and ginger-related recipes.

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