Easy Gingerbread Cookies

Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies are fun and easy to make. Made with a spicy gingerbread dough, they are crisp around the edges and soft in the middle, and make the most perfect cut-out cookies!

Hi! I am just popping in to share this gingerbread cookie recipe with you!

Until this year, I didn't have many holiday cookie recipes on my blog. When I first started my baking blog, I felt a bit weird about making recipes for cookies or holiday bakes that are super nostalgic and not being able to do them justice. 100% a me problem, and something I've overcome, but it took me a long time - I've been running this blog for 7 years now.

Anyway, now i'm deep in the holiday / christmas cookies spirit, and having the best time - top hits include my snickerdoodle recipe, my gingerbread loaf cake, and my easy gingersnap recipe.

I hadn't posted a gingerbread cookie recipe here for the same reason I waited to post my cut out sugar cookie recipe - I wanted it to be just what I wanted, and something that is really worth carving out time during the busy holiday season to make.

So here it is - what is to me, the best gingerbread cookie recipe, perfect for your gingerbread men cookies (or gingerbread people!), cut out gingerbread cookies, and whatever else you might use a classic gingerbread cookie recipe for. A super simple gingerbread cookie dough, and a very versatile gingerbread cookie.

Why I love this Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

I love this easy gingerbread cookie recipe for many reasons, here are some of them:

• Easy to work with dough. I wanted a gingerbread cookie dough that was easy to work with and wasn't going to be a hassle. I feel like so often roll out cookies have a difficult dough to work with, and honestly, I just don't have time for that. We get around this by rolling the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper directly after making it, and it chills that way, so when it comes time to cut it out, you are all ready to go.
• Tastes delicious. I like a pretty spicy gingerbread cookie, but it has to be a good blend of spices. There are quite a few in this recipe, but you can sub them out or mix and match depending on what you have on hand. This recipe uses molasses which gives an amazing depth of flavour too, without making the dough too hard to work with.
• Soft and Chewy gingerbread texture. I prefer my cookies a little on the softer side, with more resistance around the edges. You can bake these gingerbread cookies as much or as little as you like if you prefer them a little more firm.
• Easy to make ahead. I love a recipe which gives options on how to make ahead - whether that be preparing the dough ahead of time, or storing the finished gingerbread cookies in the freezer.

How to make gingerbread cookies

This Gingerbread Cookies recipe does require some chill time, but it is great to make ahead.

• Make the gingerbread cookie dough. I have a separate post on how to make gingerbread cookie dough, which covers spices, ingredients in gingerbread cookies, and all my tips and tricks on rolling out the dough. You can either do this in a stand mixer or with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl.
• Chill. This gingerbread cookie recipe needs at least two hours of chill time, or this step can be done up to a few days in advance.
• Cut out. Use whatever cutters you feel like to make gingerbread cookies - either something seasonal, or just simple geometric shapes.
• Bake. I prefer soft and chewy gingerbread cookies, so I bake them until they are just done, but you are welcome to change the bake time if you prefer a more crunchy gingerbread.
• Decorate. I ran out of time when I was shooting these gingerbread cookies, but they are amazing decorated with the cookie icing of your choice - I have a full recipe on my website for sugar cookie icing which would be perfect with these gingerbread cookies, particularly the lemon version! It's just a powdered sugar and milk situation, but is so good!

Can gingerbread Cookies be made ahead of time?

This is the same information that is on my sugar cookie post, but it also applies to this gingerbread cookie recipe!

This is a great recipe to make ahead, and you can break up the workload in a number of ways:

• Make the gingerbread cookie dough ahead of time. Gingerbread cookie dough can be made and stored in the fridge in parchment paper for up to three days before you cut out the dough and bake.
• Store the cut-outs in the freezer. Once you have cut out the shapes, you can flash freeze them and store in the freezer, then bake from frozen. See more on this in my how to make sugar cookie dough post.
• Make the cookies in advance and store at room temperature. The baked gingerbread cookies will store up to a week at room temperature in an airtight container, so they can easily be made ahead.
• Freeze the baked cookies. If you want to freeze the baked cookies themselves, you can also do this - I personally prefer them freshly baked, but you can freeze them if you like!

How to freeze gingerbread cookies

Yes - if you want to freeze the baked gingerbread cookies, layer the cooled cookies with parchment paper in an airtight container, then freeze for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature before eating.

How to get a clean cut on gingerbread cookies

Gingerbread cookie dough can be a little finicky to work with, but the best way to mitigate this is to chill your dough. Rolling out the dough while it is warm means that it is easy to roll out, and easy to get a nice even thickness, but then chilling it down means that you get a nice sharp cut out on your cookies and it makes it far easier to work with.

As you are cutting out the gingerbread cookies, if your dough starts to warm up too much or is too hard to work with as it is soft, just pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes or into the freezer for 5 minutes to let it firm up, then remove it and keep cutting.

How to roll out gingerbread cookie dough

I roll out my gingerbread dough between two pieces of parchment paper. I use pre-cut paper (16.5" x 12.25" / 42x32cm), and the dough, rolled to the correct thickness, should fill the space between the two sheets.

I also use rolling pin guides, which are silicone strips which lay down either side of the dough and the rolling pin presses down onto them to help the dough be rolled to an even thickness.

Can I re roll the scraps?

Yes, you can press the scraps of the gingerbread cookie dough together after cutting and re-roll. However, be aware that the more you work the dough and add extra flour, the tougher it will be and you may not get a nice neat surface. I like to use small cookie cutters to cut out little pieces of dough to make the most out of each roll out - they make very good snacks!

For all my tips and tricks on super easy gingerbread dough, check out my post: How to make gingerbread cookie dough

How to tell when gingerbread cookies are baked

Look for the edges and surface of your gingerbread to be set, and just starting to colour around the edges. Remember that they will finish up baking and set up on the cookie sheet as they cool.

Separate the cookies by size on baking sheets if you are making multiple sizes, as smaller cookies bake for less time. I like to check for doneness after 10 minutes for smaller cookies, or 13 minutes for larger cookies.

If you would like your cookies to be on the crisper side, simply increase the baking time - you may want to do a test bake first to find your ideal gingerbread cookie texture.

Best icing for Gingerbread Cookies

There are a bunch of ways you can finish gingerbread cookies - I ran out of time to shoot these all decorated, but if you want a great icing recipe that is perfect for decorating, my sugar cookie icing would work great here. There are a bunch of flavour suggestions in the post too!

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page

How many cookies does this gingerbread cookie recipe make?

This recipe makes about 20-30 gingerbread cookies, depending on how big your cutters are. I used a 3" / 75mm cookie cutter to make most of the round ones, along with a slightly smaller round cutter and got about 20 cookies, with one round of re-rolling the dough.

Can this recipe be used to make gingerbread houses?

I haven't tried it sorry, so i'm not too sure. It is definitely something that I want to give a go, but I can't say for certain if this particular gingerbread cookie recipe works for houses as it does puff a teeny bit, but if you baked it for longer and left out the baking soda it might work!

Can I bake two trays at a time?

If you trust your oven, by all means go ahead and bake two trays at once. You will want to switch the trays top and bottom half way through. However I prefer to bake them one tray at a time - you can just store extra cookies in the freezer until you are ready to bake them.

How do you store gingerbread cookies?

The baked gingerbread cookies will store up to a week at room temperature in an airtight container, so they can easily be made ahead.

Can these be made as drop cookies?

No - these are a cut out gingerbread cookie. If you are after a spicy drop cookie (a scoop and bake), check out my ginger molasses cookies, or my thin and crispy gingersnap cookies.

For more easy roll-out cookies, check out:

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