December 12, 2022

Desserts

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

These Soft Gingerbread Cookies come together easily and are perfectly soft and chewy! They taste amazing on their own, or throw on your favorite royal icing and decorate them as your please. This recipe is a Christmas must that the whole family will love.

JUMP TO RECIPE

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Soft Gingerbread Cookies are easy to make!
Filled with molasses and ground ginger for that infamous taste we all love and adore.
Great for Christmas or any holiday party.
Can be wrapped up for the perfect DIY gift box.
Taste amazing on their own, or throw on your favorite icing and decorate them as you please.
These make for a fun decorating night for the kids.
As written these cookies are soft and chewy but they can also be crunchy if you prefer.
It’s the perfect cookie for shaping and decorating!
Feel free to use your favorite cookie cutter and make any shape you desire!
If you love this recipe, check out my gluten free gingerbread muffins!

Ingredients And Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for Soft Gingerbread Cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

This recipe calls for butter, I personally love using grass-fed butter but you can also use plant-based or just regular unsalted butter.

Brown sugar is the best for this recipe as it really binds well with the molasses. You can also sub for coconut sugar if preferred.

Cane sugar adds some sweetness and helps create a great texture for these cookies.

Black strap molasses is key to making gingerbread cookies and cannot be replaced.

You will need an egg which helps bind the ingredients and create a chewy texture. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg.

Vanilla extract adds a lovely flavor to any baked good.

All purpose flour works best for this recipe as I have not tested it with any other flour substitutes. However, if you are gluten free you may be able to use a 1:1 gluten free flour blend such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthurs, however, the texture may differ slightly.

The for spices you will need a blend of ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg.

Baking soda is going to help these cookies rise and have a fluffy, yet chewy texture.

A touch of salt really balances out all the flavors.

all the ingredients that you need to make these gingerbread men cookies in individual bowls.

How To Make

ONE: Start by creaming together the softened butter, brown sugar and cane sugar until well incorporated. Then, add in the egg, vanilla extract and molasses. Mix until light and fluffy.

butter, sugars, eggs, molasses and vanilla added to the butter and sugar mixture.

TWO: Next, add in the all purpose flour, spices, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Cover and place the dough in the fridge for at least an hour to chill.

dry ingredients added into the bowl with the wet ingredients.

all the ingredients mixed together to create the dough.

THREE: When ready, preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, flour a clean working surface and roll out the dough. I like my cookies to be a little thick, so I roll it out to be about 1/3-1/2 inch thick. Cut out your cookies and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

candy cane, snow flake and gingerbread men cookie cutters cut into the dough.

FOUR: Let cool and add on icing or enjoy as is!

gingerbread cookies on a wire rack, with three of them iced with white icing and sprinkled with green and red sprinkles.

Tips And Tricks

Dough needs to chill for at least an hour, if chilling longer than that, roll out the dough and knead it with your hands for 1-2 minutes to warm it up a bit before cutting out your cookies.

Use any shape of cookie cutter that you’d like! I used candy cane, gingerbread man and snowflakes!

For a chewier cookie, bake for 12 minutes and for a crunchier cookie, bake for 14 minutes.

You can also make the dough and hold it in the fridge for 2-3 days before baking it.

Want to add on some icing?

If you’re looking for a homemade royal icing recipe then you’ve come to the right place. All you need is three simple ingredients! Feel free to add in some food coloring too to really make things festive.

a hand holding one of the gingerbread cookies with a bite taken out of it to show the fluffy texture.

ROYAL ICING:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tsp almond milk

How To Serve And Store

Serve these Soft Gingerbread Cookies warm and with a cup of milk, coffee or tea. Enjoy as is, or add on your favorite icing and decorate as you please.

Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter and enjoy within 3-4 days.

Taste And Texture

These soft gingerbread cookies taste just like traditional gingerbread cookies but with a little less of a ginger bite. It’s not super overpowering and, in my opinion, has the perfect amount of spice!

The texture is soft, chewy but still sturdy!

gingerbread cookies on a wire rack that have not been iced with icing and a bowl of sprinkles on the bottom right corner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this recipe gluten free?

What kind of icing can I use?

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tsp almond milk

Can I make this recipe without an egg?

I haven’t tested this recipe without an egg so I can’t tell you for sure. If you try it with a flax egg, please let me know in the comments below.

Other Recipes You May Like

If you make these Soft Gingerbread Cookies, I would really appreciate a comment and rating down below, under the recipe card. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me over on Instagram, Tiktok or Pinterest!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

5 based on 1 reviews

PIN RECIPE

PREP TIME:

1 hour, 15 minutes

COOK TIME:

12-14 minutes

TOTAL TIME:

1.5 hours

Author - Hannah

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cookies

1/2 cup grass fed butter, may sub plant based
1/2 cup brown sugar, may sub coconut sugar
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup black molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Royal Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tsp milk of choice

SCALE:

YIELDS:

35 cookies

Directions

Start by creaming together the softened butter, brown sugar and cane sugar in an electric mixer until well incorporated.
Then, add in the egg, vanilla extract and molasses. Mix until light and fluffy.
Next, switch to a paddle attachment and add in the all purpose flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Cover and place the dough in the fridge for at least an hour to chill.
When ready, preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Then, flour a clean working surface and roll out the dough. I like my cookies to be a little thick, so I roll it out to be about 1/3-1/2 inch thick. Cut out your cookies and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
Let cool and add on icing or enjoy as is!

Notes

Dough needs to chill for at least an hour, if chilling longer than that, roll out the dough and knead it with your hands for 1-2 minutes to warm it up a bit before cutting out your cookies.
Use any shape of cookie cutter that you'd like! I used candy cane, gingerbread man and snowflakes!
For a chewier cookie, bake for 12 minutes and for a crunchier cookie, bake for 14 minutes.
You can also make the dough and hold it in the fridge for 2-3 days before baking it.