Soft Gingerbread Cookies
These soft gingerbread cookies are sweet, soft, and lightly spiced. This is the perfect cut-out cookie recipe, and will quickly become a family favorite for the holidays!
Welcome to Christmas Cookie season! I’m so excited to share with you all kinds of Christmas cookie inspiration, because this is the most wonderful time of the year indeed. Whether you are attending a cookie exchange, taking treats to work/school/a party, giving goodie plates to neighbors, or just needing a weekend baking session with your people, I have you covered. These cookie recipes are some of my all-time favorites, and I can’t wait for you to try them in your own home.
I wanted to start cookie season out with a bang, so I’m sharing my favorite recipe first – soft gingerbread cookies! I thought about saving this for last, but who am I kidding? You need this recipe and you need it STAT! My brother and sister-in-law moved next door to us, all the way from Kentucky. My brother is working at our hardware store and his wife, Beth, is helping me in the kitchen! I wanted to get a jump on Christmas cookies, so we started baking in August to have a nice collection for you all baking season. Beth went to culinary school and her emphasis was baking! Seriously! And now she’s my neighbor. I’m using her and her skills to the fullest.
DESCRIPTION
These soft gingerbread cookies are sweet, soft, and lightly spiced. This is the perfect cut-out cookie recipe, and will quickly become a family favorite for the holidays!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, at room temperature (salted or unsalted)
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg
1 cup dark molasses
2 tablespoons white vinegar
5 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
INSTRUCTIONS
Cream butter, adding sugar gradually. Beat until well combined and light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in egg, molasses, and vinegar.
Sift all of the dry ingredients together and then blend sifted dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Divide the dough into two even pieces, wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 90 minutes.
When the dough is done chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Working in sections, roll the dough to 1/2″ thick on a floured surface; cut into desired shapes. Place shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Gather and reroll “scraps” of dough as needed, using all of the dough.
Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Leave plain or decorate (here are 6 Simple Ways to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies if you are looking for some inspo).
NOTES
If you like your gingerbread on the crispy side, roll it 1/4″ thick and bake for 11-12 minutes. If you like it nice and soft (though still very sturdy), roll the dough 1/2″ thick and bake for 10 minutes. If you play around with the thickness of the dough and the baking time, you’ll discover a cookie that meets your liking. I really like this thick and soft.
SEE MORE NOTES in the tips and tricks section of the blog post.
The dough can be held in the fridge for 2 days before using without any issues.
You may need to add up to a 1/2 cup more flour as needed so the dough is workable. I’m cooking from an arid kitchen.
I’ve used both salted and unsalted butter for this recipe and haven’t noticed much of a difference, use what you have.
You can substitute the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar without any issues.
