The Best Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
During this time of year, these Holiday Gingerbread Cookies are always made, along with many of my other usual baked goods for gift giving like my shortbread cookies, rugelach, or amaretti cookies. If there’s any left, I always love to sit down with friends or family and enjoy a wonderful cup of java with some of these wonderfully festive treats. These are one of the most traditional Christmas cookies out there for many households, and are so much fun to decorate with everyone. Make decorating a yearly event and put on some great Holiday music to get in the mood. It doesn’t hurt to sneak a cookie or two in between.
Gingerbread Cookies Highlights
QUICK AND EASY. The dough for these cookies is so unbelievably quick and easy to make. FUN TO MAKE. Make it a family event and get everyone decorating. HOLIDAY FAVORITE. Okay, so what’s the Holidays without gingerbread cookies. I say, they are a must and it’s expected every year that a batch or two are baked up.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Flour – You’ll need some white all-purpose flour for the cookie dough. Baking Powder – Baking powder is used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of these cookies. Spices – Ground ginger, ground allspice, ground cloves and ground cinnamon are the amazing spices used to create that famous gingerbread taste. Feel free to play around with the amounts of the spices to suit your taste buds. Salt – Believe me, salt makes all the difference, so don’t skip this! Shortening – I like using melted and slightly cooled shortening instead of butter for this recipe It helps retain the gingerbread shapes while they are being baked. Molasses – I used blackstrap molasses because it will give you a more intense flavor and a darker appearance. You can also use cooking molasses. Brown Sugar – Brown sugar will add some moisture and chewiness to these cookies. Egg – The egg will provide moisture for steam which leavens the cookie dough. Vanilla – A bit of vanilla always enhances all the other flavors in this cookie recipe. Water – Potable water is needed to make the dough pliable enough to roll.
How To Make Gingerbread Cookies
Sift All The Dry Ingredients
Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Sifting will ensure there are no lumps and the dough will be very smooth.
Make The Dough
In the medium bowl of your mixer, add the melted shortening, molasses, brown sugar, egg, vanilla and water. Using the paddle attachment mix on medium until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl. Start on low, mix everything together until all the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. You may think the dough is too wet or sticky but it’s not. You will need to chill it and that will stiffen it up a bit.
Chill The Dough
Divide dough into two equal portions. Use your hands to form them into a ball and then flatten into discs. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or until the dough is chilled but still pliable. Take the dough discs out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before rolling.
Prep The Oven And Baking Sheet
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the meantime, line a large 15×21-inch baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Roll And Cut The Dough
Unwrap the dough and place it on a floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough until it’s about ⅛-¼ inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut the dough into cookies. Then transfer the cut cookies onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough and re-roll any leftover dough until finished.
Bake
Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies are done when they no longer look dry but still soft to the touch.
Cool Completely And Decorate
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. When completely cool, you can frost or ice your cookies any way you wish. Get the kids involved, they will love it!
How To Decorate Gingerbread Men?
The easiest way to decorate gingerbread men are to use a store bought pre-made tube of white icing. That way you simply open the tube and create the eyes, mouth, buttons, etcetera. It’s also fun to make other Holiday shapes to decorate. The more economical way, is to make some plain white icing, and pipe it. I prefer using icing as it has a thinner consistency and is easy to pipe. If you choose to make your own icing, try my recipe here.
Where Did Gingerbread Cookies Come From?
An early form of gingerbread can be traced to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians who used it for ceremonial purposes. Gingerbread made an appearance in Europe when 11th-century Crusaders brought back ginger from the Middle East for the aristocrats’ cooks to experiment with. However, It’s been suggested the first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC.
Is Butter Or Shortening Better For Gingerbread Cookies?
Cookies made with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be flatter and crispier than cookies made with shortening. Because of butter’s low melting point, the dough tends to spread during baking before the structure sets. When making gingerbread men or other shapes, its best not to have the dough spread too much while cooking.
Is Frosting And Icing The Same Thing?
Icing is thinner than frosting but not quite as thin as a glaze. Typically made with powdered sugar and liquid, such as water, milk, or juice, icing can be drizzled or spread. Icing has more shine and a smoother consistency than frosting.
What Is The Best Molasses For Gingerbread Cookies?
Blackstrap will give a more intense flavor and a very dark appearance, but cooking or fancy molasses will result in a finer tasting finished product. Cooking molasses is the most commonly used in gingerbread, as it has the best from both, it’s dark, flavorful and delicious, but any molasses will still produce a great gingerbread.
How Do You Keep Gingerbread Cookies From Getting Hard?
Chilling the dough for at least 1 hours or overnight gives the ingredients a chance to absorb one another, making it a whole lot easier to roll out the dough without it cracking. Follow this tip: Let the dough chill in the refrigerator, well-wrapped, for at least 1 hours or overnight before rolling it out.
Are Gingerbread And Ginger Snaps The Same?
Gingerbread is the traditional holiday spiced cookie that has been around for centuries, and gingersnaps are simply a variation of classic gingerbread cookies.
Expert Tips
Leftovers
Gingerbread cookies should be stored in an airtight container on the counter or in the pantry for up to 2-3 weeks.
Freezer
These cookies freeze very well. Place them in single layers in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Take them out for the Holidays and enjoy!
More Fantastic Recipes To Try
Dark Rye BreadGingerbread LoafGingerbread CakeEnglish Toffee Gingerbread BiscottiSticky Toffee PuddingLemon Shortbread Cookies
