Gingerbread Cookies

Hi Everyone! Can you believe Christmas is only a week away?! I am getting SO excited. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. All I want to do is turn on my Christmas lights, blast Christmas music, and bake, bake, BAKE. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, I’ve been baking Christmas Sugar Cookies since I was little; they are such a Christmas tradition and a staple of holiday baking. In more recent years, however, I have added another cookie to the mix that I have been absolutely HOOKED on, so I wanted to share that recipe with you all – my homemade, cut-out Gingerbread Cookies.

The Secret to Achieving Soft, Less Bitter Gingerbread Cookies

Apart from being the most iconic Christmas cookie ever, Gingerbread Cookies are downright delicious. Even if you are someone who doesn’t typically like Gingerbread, I would argue that you will still like these cookies. How do I know? Because I was someone who thought they didn’t like gingerbread! A few years back, however, I decided to experiment and make some Gingerbread Cookies anyway (mainly because I thought they might be fun to decorate!).

After doing some research online, I decided to swap half of the molasses for maple syrup, which I read helps to eliminate some of the bitterness. I also found a recipe specifically for SOFT gingerbread cookies(If we’re not building a gingerbread house, soft cookies are a bit more desirable in my opinion) that STILL KEEP THEIR SHAPE. Let me tell you – these two modifications changed the game.

Now, I can’t get enough Gingerbread! When I made these Gingerbread Cookies this week, I literally had my husband take all of the leftover cookies to his office so I could get them out of the house; otherwise, I knew I would sit around and devour them all day long.

Decorate your Gingerbread with Royal Icing

Half the fun of making Gingerbread Cookies is decorating! Three things you need to expertly decorate this year: 

First, you need my royal icing recipe. While you can always buy store-bought icing, royal icing leads to prettier, more professional looking cookies (in my opinion). Something about the white crisp swirls of this icing looks beautiful against the warm brown color of the cookies, and the delicate flavor pairs perfectly with the stronger spices of the gingerbread.  

Check out my recipe below– it’s SUPER easy to make, requires only three ingredients, and does not require meringue powder (WHICH IS ODDLY SO HARD TO FIND AT MOST STORES).

Second, you need to make your own piping bags with plastic sandwich bags! Pro tip: when you cut the corner, start with the TINIEST hole – you can always cut bigger, but once you’ve cut too much, you can’t go back. Check out this video  to see how I divide my icing into piping bags with no mess!

Last, but DEFINITELY not least, you need to get yourself some fabulous sprinkles. I splurged on some white sprinkles this year – they make the icing look like snow! White and gold sugar pearls are also a must for taking your Gingerbread to the next level.

I hope you guys enjoyed these tips and enjoy the Gingerbread Cookies! As always, if you do enjoy, please rate/comment below! If you’d like to see more of my recipes, follow me on Instagram @madeby.moni !  

Print Recipe

Gingerbread Cookies

These cut-out Gingerbread Cookies are as tasty as they are beautiful! This recipe is perfect for those who are on the fence about Gingerbread. The Cookies are significantly less bitter, and dramatically softer than the traditional recipe – making them ridiculously popular AND delicious!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 hours hrs 9 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Dessert, Gingerbread

Servings: 25 cookies (varies by cookie cutter)

Equipment

• Stand Up Mixer
• Medium Size Bowl

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ cup molasses don’t use blackstrap or cooking molasses! Those are too bitter
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp white vinegar

Dry Ingredients

• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• In a stand-up mixer, cream butter and sugar at a moderate speed (6-8) until smooth (typically 2-3 minutes). Butter-sugar mixture should look light and fluffy, not overly liquidy/moist.
• Beat in egg, molasses, maple syrup, and white vinegar.
• In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and then blend them into wet ingredients.
• Once the dough is too thick for the stand up mixer, turn out the dough onto a well-floured countertop. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. If the dough is too crumbly, wet your hands and continue to knead the dough by hand until you reach desired texture.
• Wrap the dough in saran wrap or a plastic bag, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough to ¼ – ½’’ thickness. (the thicker the cookie, the softer it will be. The thinner cookies will be crispier).
• Cut into desired shape with a cookie cutter.
• Place shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack.

Video