Easy Gingerbread Cookies

These Easy Gingerbread Cookies are a must-make for the holiday season! With their soft and chewy texture, rich molasses flavor, and blend of warm spices, they’re a fun and festive treat everyone will love. Cut them into your favorite shapes and decorate with royal icing for the perfect finishing touch.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Easy Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
• Ingredients
• Variations
• How to Make Gingerbread Cookies
• Storage Directions 
• Serving Suggestions
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• More Holiday Favorites
• Don't Be Shy!
• Easy Gingerbread Cookies

Why You’ll Love This Easy Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

• Customizable: Get creative and decorate these gingerbread cookies with colored icing, festive sprinkles, candies, and more. You can also use any cookie cutters you’d like to make snowflake, snowmen, gingerbread men cookies, or another fun shape.
• Great for Making Ahead: The dough can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge, making it easy to plan your holiday baking around your busy schedule.
• Holiday Favorite: With their nostalgic molasses flavor, these easy homemade gingerbread cookies are a classic holiday dessert. They’re perfect for cookie trays, gifting, and more.

For more holiday cookie recipes, check out our chocolaty waffle cookies, these soft ginger molasses cookies, and our festive peppermint chocolate cookies next.

Ingredients

Here’s a look at everything you’ll need to make this gingerbread cookie recipe.

For the Cookies

• Butter: Provides richness and moisture to the gingerbread cookie dough.
• Dark Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness, moisture, and a hint of molasses for deeper flavor. Note that if you use light brown sugar, the color of the cookies won’t be as dark.
• Egg: Provides moisture and acts as a binder.
• Molasses: Gives the cookies their signature flavor and dark color while also doubling as a sweetener.
• All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the cookie dough and gives the cookies structure.
• Baking Soda: This leavening agent helps the cookies rise as they bake up in the oven.
• Spices: A combination of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg gives the cookies a warm and festive flavor.

For the Royal Icing 

• Meringue Powder: Made with dried egg whites, this provides structure for the icing. It can typically be found anywhere cake decorating supplies are sold.
• Water: Helps create the right consistency.
• Cream of Tartar: Works to stabilize the meringue and improve the texture of the icing.
• Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the icing and helps it achieve a smooth texture for piping.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Dairy-Free: Swap the butter for a plant-based version to make this recipe dairy-free. You should also read the labels on the rest of the ingredients for possible cross-contamination.
• Gluten-Free: For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum. Be sure to check the labels on the other ingredients for any risk of cross-contamination.
• Chocolate Dipped: After baking and cooling, dip half of each cookie in melted dark or white chocolate and top with decorating sugar or sprinkles, if desired.

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

To get started making this easy recipe for gingerbread cookies, you’ll want to bring your butter and egg to room temperature to make the dough easier to mix. 

• Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients. Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and cream together using a hand or stand mixer. Then, add the molasses and egg, and mix until well incorporated.
• Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Pour the flour on top of the wet ingredient mixture and then add the baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until well combined.

• Step 3: Form the dough and chill. After mixing, form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Step 4: Roll the dough and cut out shapes. Divide the dough ball into two sections, and roll each one out on a floured surface. Use your cookie cutters to cut the rolled dough into shapes. Place the cut-out cookies onto a prepared baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 8-9 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

• Step 5: Make the icing. Pour the water into a large bowl, add the meringue powder, and mix for 30 seconds. Then mix in the cream of tartar for another 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed for 10 minutes.
• Step 6: Decorate the cookies. Transfer the icing to a piping bag and use it to decorate the cooled cookies. Allow the cookies to dry completely before serving, which will take about 2 hours.

Storage Directions 

• Room Temperature: Store decorated or undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If iced, place parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.
• Refrigerator: You can also store the baked cookies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• Freezer: Freeze baked, undecorated cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before decorating. You can also freeze the dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before rolling and baking.
• Make Ahead: If you want to prep the dough ahead of time, make it up to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some great ideas for serving and enjoying these easy gingerbread men cookies:

• Leave a plate of these cookies for Santa with some cinnamon warm milk or hot chocolate with coconut milk.
• Serve them on a festive treat tray along with some crunchy English toffee and homemade white chocolate fudge.
• Enjoy them for dessert after your holiday dinner of fried whole turkey and creamy mashed potatoes.

Expert Tips

• Chill the Dough: Don’t skip the chilling step! It makes the dough easier to roll out and helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.
• Roll Evenly: Roll the dough to a consistent thickness (I recommend 1.4 inches thick) so that each cookie bakes up evenly.
• Cool Completely: Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue to cool. Be sure they are completely cooled before icing them to prevent melting.
• Guide the Icing: For smooth, straight lines, let the icing flow naturally from the piping bag while gently guiding it, rather than pressing down too hard or pulling too quickly.

Recipe FAQs

More Holiday Favorites

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