There’s something magical about iced gingerbread cookies during the holidays! My easy gingerbread cookie recipe blends warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves with rich molasses, filling the kitchen with a festive aroma. Soft enough to bite into yet crisp enough to hold their shape, these decorated gingerbread cookies are ideal for festive cookie swaps, Christmas parties, or building gingerbread houses.
Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies
There’s no Christmas cookie more classic than gingerbread! My gingerbread cut out cookies strike the perfect balance of a slightly chewy inside and a crisp outside, making them ideal for decorating or building. Butter adds richness, brown sugar and molasses provide moisture, and a short bake keeps them tender. These no spread gingerbread cookies are as fun to eat as they are to decorate with royal icing.
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Flat Chilling Prevents Spreading and Warping
I prefer to chill my gingerbread cookie dough in a thin slab rather than a ball. Flattening the dough before freezing or chilling helps it thaw evenly, prevents overworking when rolling, and ensures your cookies bake uniformly without spreading too much. This small adjustment keeps cut-out shapes crisp and consistent, which is perfect for gingerbread houses or detailed decorations.
Iced Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Stand Mixer
- 2 Baking Sheet(s)
- Rolling Pin
- Assorted Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves optional
- 10 tablespoons salted butter room temperature (1¼ sticks)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup unsulphured molasses *
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract optional
For the Royal Icing (Optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1½ teaspoons corn syrup **
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, and cloves together. Set aside.2⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and lighter in color, about 2 minutes.10 tablespoons salted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add in the molasses, eggs, and vanilla and beat for another minute, until fully incorporated and smooth.⅔ cup unsulphured molasses, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix just until combined, about 45 seconds.
- Once mixed, remove from the mixing bowl and wrap in plastic wrap. Place into the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge. Preheat oven to 350°F and line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Unwrap the cookie dough and place it onto a well-floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a very rough rectangle about ¼-inch thick. Use a variety of cookie cutters to cut cookies from the dough.
- Once cut, place the cookies about ½-inch apart onto the lined baking sheet. Place into the oven to bake for 8-9 minutes. They will be very soft to the touch when you remove them from the oven, this is good.
- While the first batch of cookies bake, roll the remaining dough into a ball. Roll out into a rectangle and cut more cookies. Continue doing this until all of the dough is used.
- Once the cookies have baked, remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Royal Icing
- While the cookies cool, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, corn syrup, and milk together for a few minutes, or until completely smooth.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, 1½ teaspoons corn syrup
- Once the icing has come together, spoon it into a piping bag. When you are ready to decorate the cookies, snip a hole into the bottom of the bag, about the size of a pinhead. Ice the cookies as desired.
- Once the cookies are iced, let set for 15 minutes to allow the icing to harden.
Notes
- When creaming the butter, scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
- Don’t overmix the dough once you add the flour, or your cookies will turn out tough.
- Try folding in some lemon or orange zest to these cookies for a fresh flavor, or fold in some crystallized ginger for more bite!
- Be sure to put a bit of flour on a flat, clean surface before rolling out your dough to keep it from sticking.
- If the dough feels too firm or is cracking as you roll it out, let it rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften before trying again.
- If the dough feels too soft or greasy, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- To get the most cookies cut each time you roll out the dough, carefully place the cookie cutters as close together as possible without overlapping them.
- The more times you re-roll the dough, the tougher that next batch of cookies will be, so try to only do it once or twice.
- Once you have cut cookies from the dough, gently pick them up either with your hands, a butter knife or a bench knife so as not to deform them.
- These cookies are finished baking when the edges are firm and the middle looks set on top.
- When you pull the whisk up out of the icing, it should fall back into the bowl steadily and be about as thick as toothpaste. It will take some vigorous whisking and patience before it comes together. Do not add more milk, as it will thin it out.
- The hole for the icing should be large enough to push the icing through without excessive force yet not so large that the icing falls out of the opening.
- To ice the cookies, either fold or twist the large end of the piping bag. Grip in your dominant hand and gently squeeze the icing out onto the surface of the cookie. The tip of the bag should be about ⅛-inch away from the cookie for optimal decorating. Keep the bag at almost a 90-degree angle to the cookie, with a possible slight tilt for better visibility.
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies Step-by-Step
Prep: Gather the list of ingredients for this decorated gingerbread cookies recipe. Bring the butter to room temperature for 30-60 minutes before beginning so it is nice and soft.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk 2⅔ cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of ground ginger, 1½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves together. If you only have one or the other, you can omit either the nutmeg or cloves, and these cookies will still be great! Set aside.
Cream the Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 10 tablespoons of salted butter, ¾ cup of brown sugar, and ¼ cup of granulated sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
Add the Molasses: Add in ⅔ cup of unsulphured molasses, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, and 1½ teaspoons of vanilla extract and beat for another minute, until fully incorporated and smooth. The vanilla is optional as well, but I like the extra warmth it adds.
Combine the Dough: Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix just until combined, about 45 seconds. Take care not to overmix the dough. It should just hold together and still look a bit crumbly.
Chill the Dough: Once mixed, remove from the mixing bowl and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place into the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight. You can speed this up by chucking it in the freezer for about 15 minutes, but I find that the cookies have a better texture and flavor with a longer chill in the fridge.
Preheat the Oven: Once the cookie dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge. Preheat your oven to 350°F, line several baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. Lightly flour your work surface and dough to prevent sticking.
Roll and Cut the Dough: Unwrap the cookie dough and place it onto a well-floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a very rough rectangle about ¼-inch thick. If the dough feels too firm or is cracking as you roll it out, let it rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften before trying again. If it feels too soft or greasy, place it in the fridge for 10 minutes. Use a variety of cookie cutters to cut cookies from the dough. To get the most cookies cut each time you roll out the dough, carefully place the cookie cutters as close together as possible without overlapping them.
Bake the Cookies: Once cut, carefully place the cookies about ½-inch apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a butter knife or a bench knife so as not to deform them. Place into the preheated oven to bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the middles look set. They will be very soft to the touch when you remove them from the oven; this is okay!
Cool the Cookies: While the first batch of cookies bakes, roll the remaining dough into a ball. Roll out into a rectangle and cut more cookies. Continue doing this until all of the dough is used. The more times you re-roll the dough, the tougher that next batch of cookies will be, so try to only do it once or twice.
Once the cookies have baked, remove from the oven and place them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Mix the Icing: While the cookies cool, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1½ teaspoons of corn syrup together for a few minutes, or until completely smooth. When you pull the whisk up out of the icing, it should fall back into the bowl steadily and be about as thick as toothpaste. It will take some vigorous whisking and patience before it comes together. Do not add more milk, as it will thin it out.
Ice the Cookies: Once the icing has come together, spoon it into a piping bag. When you are ready to decorate the cookies, snip a hole into the bottom of the bag, about the size of a pinhead (don’t make it too large!). To ice the cookies, either fold or twist the large end of the piping bag. Grip in your dominant hand and gently squeeze the icing out onto the surface of the cookie. The tip of the bag should be about ⅛-inch away from the cookie for optimal decorating. Keep the bag at almost a 90-degree angle to the cookie, with a possible slight tilt for better visibility. Once the gingerbread cookies are iced, let set for 15 minutes to allow the icing to harden.
How to Store and Freeze
Store leftover iced gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let come to room temperature for 15-30 minutes before serving.
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