Traditions are what the holidays are made of. Whether it’s getting a fresh tree, driving around to view Christmas lights or deciding who will stay up to “catch” Santa in action, it’s the little things that we remember and treasure. And baking is no exception, especially when gingerbread cookies are involved!
Who Doesn’t LOVE Gingerbread?
Just like pumpkin symbolizes fall for me, gingerbread triggers the holiday spirit within me. I love all things gingerbread…from cakes, to coffee and, of course, to those gingerbread cookies. After all, it’s a part of our holiday tradition.
Baking with family this time of year is a great way to build memories. I always bake with my mom during the holidays. And, she has the BEST gingerbread recipe! The hard part is waiting to share them. It’s not Christmas if we don’t have her gingerbread cookies.
Ingredient Line-Up
Butter – unsalted butter works best for this recipe.
Sugar – dark brown sugar has a higher amount of molasses and will bring out more flavor in the cookie, but light brown sugar works as well.
Molasses – the star of gingerbread cookies, molasses adds sweetness and contributes to the chewy texture.
Maple Syrup – use pure maple syrup only, do not substitute with pancake syrup.
Eggs – bring large eggs to room temperature.
All-Purpose Flour – all-purpose flour is sifted with the spices and other dry ingredients.
Baking Soda – helps to make the dough rise.
Salt – adds flavor and helps to balance the sweetness of the cookie.
Spices – ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves comprise the spices in this cookie. Or, use homemade gingerbread spice instead.
Tools Needed
Mixer – either a hand mixer or stand mixer works. If using a stand mixer, you’ll need the paddle attachment.
Kitchen Scale – you can measure your ingredients using a kitchen scale.
Measuring Cups & Spoons – if you don’t weigh ingredients, you’ll need both dry measuring cups and those for measuring liquids, as well as measuring spoons.
Mixing Bowls – you’ll need mixing bowls to hold the ingredients.
Whisk & Spatula – use a small whisk to mix the dry ingredients together and a spatula to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.
Plastic Wrap – wrap the dough in plastic wrap before refrigerating.
Rolling Pin & Pastry Mat – I prefer an adjustable rolling pin so I can choose the cookie thickness. I also like to roll out dough on a pastry mat.
Cookie Cutters – use any holiday cookie cutter shapes.
Pastry Bags & Tips – you can use piping bags with tips to make it easier to decorate the cookies.
Cookie Sheet, Parchment Paper/Baking Mat – you’ll need two cookie sheets lined with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Cooling Racks – use cooling racks to cool the cookies before decorating.
Four Gingerbread Cookie Tips
After having made this recipe for some time, here are a few tips I’ve learned that will help make things easier.
- Do not substitute the maple syrup with pancake syrup or double the molasses and omit the syrup altogether. Use real maple syrup. Trust me on this.
- Be sure to scrape down the bowl often. You want to ensure all the ingredients really are incorporated. Also, add the flour slowly. I use a small scoop to add each addition of flour to the bowl.
- Chill the dough! Wrap small amounts of dough in saran wrap and flatten it out with a rolling pin. This will make it much easier to roll out the dough once after it’s chilled. Chill the dough for 1-2 hours to make it easier to work with.
- After cutting the dough into your desired shapes, chill the cutouts on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator while the oven preheats. This will help the cookies hold their shape while baking.
Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup maple syrup no substitutions
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Instructions
- Sift or mix together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
- Using a mixer with the paddle attachment (hand mixer works fine too), beat butter for one minute to soften it up a bit. Then, add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl to make sure all the butter and sugar is incorporated.
- Add the molasses, syrup and egg. Mix together. Scrape bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Set your mixer to a low speed and gradually add in the flour/spice mixture. Mix until everything is incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap in “flattened discs” and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (can be refrigerated overnight as well). TIP: wrap dough in saran wrap and flatten it down with a rolling pin. This will make it easier to roll out once the dough is chilled vs trying to roll out one large ball of dough.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Get cookie sheets ready by lining each sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- After the dough is chilled, put dough on your pastry mat or lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to at least a 1/8” thickness. You can roll out thicker for a chewier cookie but keep in mind that baking times may need to be adjusted. Cut into various shapes and place cookies about 1-2” apart on the cookie sheet. TIP: refrigerate shapes for about 10 minutes (or while your oven preheats) to help prevent the dough from spreading while baking.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- When cookies are fully cooled, decorate using flat icing, royal icing or buttercream frosting. You can add sprinkles, candies or colored sugars to dress up your shapes.
- Store in an airtight container once icing is fully dried for up to one week on the counter, or freeze for up to three months.
Choose Your Icing
Flat icing, royal icing or even buttercream frosting – gingerbread goes great with whatever topping you pair it with. Flat icing (powdered sugar with water or milk) is the easiest to make and, if you’re patient enough to let them dry overnight, will harden up nicely on the cookie. Royal icing is similar to flat icing, but contains meringue powder. And, like flat icing, the cookies will need time to dry overnight. Buttercream allows you to eat the cookies right away and might be easier for little ones to work with.
No matter which icing you choose, be sure to have plenty of sprinkles, candies and colored sugar on hand for decorating!
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