Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Gingerbread men and women are classic Christmas treats. This recipe for Gingerbread Cookies is spiced just right. Once cut, baked, and cooled, we guarantee you will have so much fun decorating these cookies.

To make the best cookies, read our Pastry Chef Tips & Tricks at the bottom of this recipe. Here you will also find a recipe for Royal Icing.

Happy Baking!

Gingerbread Cookies

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Ingredients

  

• ½ cup butter unsalted and chopped
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 1 egg large
• 3 ½ cups pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

To Decorate

• raisins
• green and red cherries
• royal icing see recipe

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Melt butter and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Beat in the sugar and molasses until combined.
• Add the egg and beat. Scrap down the bowl.
• Add the flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Mix until just combined.
• Wrap and refrigerate your Gingerbread Cookie dough
• Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.
• Cut out gingerbread people.
• Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Add raisins or cherries for buttons.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool before decorating with royal icing.

Pastry Chef Tips and Tricks for Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies can be finicky to make. Be sure to refrigerate the dough for at least two hours before using it. As the dough tends to warm up quickly, only work with small portions at a time, keeping the rest refrigerated.

Flouring your work surface is a must. These cookies are notorious for their sticky dough. Use a pastry brush to dust off any extra flour.

Once the dough is cut and the cookies can be decorated with raisins and cherries, pop the whole tray in the refrigerator. This helps the dough to relax. The cookies hold their shape better once in the oven too.

If the task of baking and decorating your Gingerbread Cookies is too much for one day, here is a simple solution. Bake off your cookies and let them cool. Then, wrap and store the cookies in the freezer. Thaw when needed and decorate. These cookies will keep for up to one month in the freezer.

If you are short on time or enjoy eating rather than baking, simply order your Gingerbread Cookies at our shop.

Royal Icing

1 large egg white

1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Juice of half a lemon

1. Whip together the egg white and the icing sugar over medium-high speed.
2. After 5 minutes add the lemon juice and continue to whip for 3 minutes more.