These are my favorite Gingerbread Cookies! They are so easy to make and such a fun Christmas and holiday tradition, especially when everyone gets to decorate their cookies. They are soft in the center, crisp at the edges, and flavored with warm winter spices and molasses. P.S. You’ll love the 3-ingredient icing.
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These classic gingerbread cookies look so joyful alongside our Cranberry Cookies, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Christmas Coconut Balls on the holiday dessert table. Can’t you just picture it?
Gingerbread Cookies Video
See Natasha make this chewy, buttery, delicious gingerbread cookie recipe using simple ingredients. You’ll love to make this your family’s holiday tradition!
Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Every year at Christmastime, we have a tradition of decorating gingerbread houses, but last year, I decided to change things up and bring Gingerbread cookies to decorate. Honestly, some of the decorations were hilarious, and the kids and adults had so much fun with them. By the end of the night, the table was covered with sprinkles, but sweet memories were made.
Similar to our Christmas Sugar Cookies, these gingerbread cookies are easy to make and decorate, while still chewy and delicious to eat. You will love decorating with our easy gingerbread cookie icing recipe (included below) using only three pantry staples, but you can easily use store-bought icing to save time.
Ingredients for Gingerbread Cookies
The best gingerbread cookies are made with ingredients you probably already have in the pantry.
- Flour – we recommend unbleached all-purpose flour for a deeper color and stronger texture
- Spices – Ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are the perfect blend of warm spices.
- Baking soda – helps the cookie rise slightly for a chewy texture
- Butter – room temperature and unsalted so it mixes in easily
- Brown sugar – sweetens the cookies and adds more color
- Molasses – Use unsulphured molasses (You can read more on the types of molasses). Molasses gives a caramel-like depth of flavor and a chewy texture.
- Egg – at room temperature
Ingredients for Cookie Icing
- Powdered Sugar – Sweetens and thickens the icing
- Milk – makes the icing creamy. You can use any milk, even a dairy-free alternative, and add it to your desired consistency.
- Vanilla extract – flavors the icing perfectly
- Sprinkles in a variety of holiday colors and shapes to decorate
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies
Make these classic gingerbread cookies with these easy-to-follow steps:
- Sift dry ingredients (flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt) into a medium bowl. Using a fine mesh sieve to sift helps eliminate clumps.
- Beat wet ingredients (butter, sugar, and molasses) in the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer on medium/high speed for about 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the egg to the wet ingredients and beat for 1 minute until incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Then, beat on medium speed until combined and the dough is soft.
Pro Tip:
If the dough or gathered scraps gets too soft to handle, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate, because chilling the dough will harden it slightly and make it easier to roll out.
- Transfer the dough from the bowl to a well-floured surface. If it’s too sticky, dust the top with flour, and then divide it into three pieces. Pat each piece into a disk shape, and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator until the dough is firm for about an hour, or up to 24 hours before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees when ready to cut the cookies and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface until it is 1/4” thick, working one disk at a time (keep the rest refrigerated). Be sure to rotate the dough as you roll to prevent sticking, and then cut out shapes using 4-5-inch cookie cutters. Gather the scraps to re-roll.
- Place cut-out cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1” apart, and bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges start to brown, then move cookies to cooling racks. Repeat rolling and baking the remaining dough. I usually bake one sheet of cookies while I roll out the dough for the second batch. If you want to bake 2 sheets at once, put the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
How do I know gingerbread cookies are done?
For a chewy cookie, be sure not to overcook. They should be slightly puffy and barely browned at the edges, and matte (not wet-looking). Bigger cookie dough cutters will need more time than smaller cutters.
How to make Cookie Icing:
It’s so easy and inexpensive to make your own cookie icing and just 3 ingredients. I made this for the kid’s cookie decorating party and divided the glaze among several sealed small zip-top bags. It kept well for hours without drying out.
How To: In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 2-3 Tbsp milk, and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. Thicken by adding more powdered sugar, or thin by adding more milk. Pour it into a piping bag. If you prefer, you can buy pre-made cookie icing.
How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
It’s easy to decorate this gingerbread cookie recipe using the icing recipe for the holidays. You could even host a gingerbread cookie decorating party. Here are a few ideas:
- Rimmed paper plates – place a cookie on each plate to catch all the mess
- Icing – After mixing the icing, fill small zip-top bags or piping bags with icing. You can even add a few drops of food coloring.
- Powdered Sugar – As a quick alternative, dust the top of the cookie with confectioner sugar
- Decorations – sprinkle and place red hot candies, sprinkles, colored sugar, or nonpareils to the icing. Don’t forget the gumdrop buttons!
- Let them Set – Allow the decorated cookies to dry completely before stacking.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make-ahead gingerbread cookie dough:
- Refrigerate: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap for up to 24 hours
- Freezing: Place wrapped dough in freezer zip-top bag for up to 3 months
- Defrost in the refrigerator overnight
To store baked gingerbread cookies:
- To Store: Transfer cooked cookies to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week. Glazed cookies should be enjoyed within 2-3 days.
- Freezing: Place cooled cookies in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months
- To Defrost: thaw on the counter
Our classic gingerbread cookie recipe is the perfect way to celebrate the holidays. In fact, we’re positive these buttery, spiced cookies will quickly become your favorite family tradition.
More Holiday Cookies and Treats
If you love this gingerbread cookie recipe, check out these other delicious holiday treats.
Gingerbread Cookies
These Gingerbread Cookies are the perfect holiday tradition, especially because everyone can decorate their gingerbread cookie. The cookies are perfectly spiced, buttery, chewy, and so delicious. You can use store-bought icing, but it’s easy to make your own. The icing pipes beautifully and hardens perfectly when it dries so you can store the cookies easily.
Servings: 40 cookies
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
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Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, soda, cloves, and salt into a medium bowl.
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In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on medium/high speed. Add egg and beat until well incorporated, 1 minute.
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Add flour mixture and beat on medium/low speed to combine. The dough will be soft and moist.
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Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. If the dough is too sticky to handle, dust the top of it with flour so you can pat it into a disk. Divide into 3 pieces, flatten each one into a disk, and wrap the dough pieces individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
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Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner.
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On a well-floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Turn the dough while rolling out to ensure it isn’t sticking to your surface. Using a 4 to 5-inch cookie cutter, cut out as many gingerbread people as you can get. Gather scraps and chill to re-roll.
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Set the cookies on a baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and bake until they are barely turning brown at the edges, about 9-10 minutes then transfer to cooling racks. Avoid over-baking if you prefer softer cookies. Repeat with rolling, cutting, and baking the remaining cookie dough. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl, stir together the icing ingredients until smooth. To thicken the icing more add powdered sugar, to thin it out, add more milk. Transfer to a piping bag with a small hole, zip bag, or squeeze bottle to decorate the cooled cookies with icing. Let the icing set and harden before storing.
What you’ll need for a cookie Decorating Party:
- Piping Bags – for the icing
- Sprinkles – get a variety of festive colors and shapes
- Rimmed plates – to contain the glaze and sprinkles mess
106kcal Calories18g Carbs1g Protein4g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Gingerbread Cookies
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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