My gingerbread cookie recipe is perfect for your holiday baking! It is one of the cookie recipes that I make sure to bake every Christmas! It is fun to use whatever shapes you would like. And no judgement on how much frosting or glaze you want to add!
When I think of Christmas baking, gingerbread cookies are always involved. This is a classic recipe where you can get a soft cookie, or a crisp one if you increase the baking time. When you are making the dough, make sure to leave enough time so it can chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. This is important because it makes the dough much easier to roll out. Or you can even make this the night before and let it chill for up to 12 hours.
This recipe is a great one to get kids involved in holiday baking! They have fun picking out which cookie cutter to use and cutting them out. And then of course decorating them is exciting! I always make sure they each have their own decorating bag to try to cut down on any arguments. Another great option is to just use a zip lock bag and cut a small piece of the corner off. That way you can have a lot and not have to worry about cleaning anything afterwards!
For my gingerbread cookie recipe I have two frosting options. The first one is a glaze that I like to use with any cutters that have a designed stamped on them. That way it highlights the design and you still have some frosting on the cookie. There is also a typical frosting recipe that you can use to decorate however you want to! I am a fan of frosting on gingerbread, so sometimes I frost the entire cookie!
I hope you enjoy the Gingerbread cookie recipe and get creative with it! The high altitude recipe is right below, and the sea level recipe is at the bottom. Be sure to leave a comment if you try it out or have any questions!
High Altitude Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
This is a great recipe for your holiday gingerbread cookies or houses! Makes about 3 dozen small/medium sized cookies.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Equipment
baking sheets
parchment paper
Rolling Pin
Cookie Cutters
Large Cutting Board (optional)
plastic wrap
Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 cups flour plus 3 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 2/3 cup molasses
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
Frosting
- 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar (one 16 oz. bag)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 5 tbsp milk
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookies
Crack your egg into a small bowl and set aside.
In your mixing bowl add the softened butter and sugar.
In another bowl combine your flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Before you start mixing, set out two pieces of plastic wrap for the dough when you are done.
Cream the butter and sugar together until it is fluffy. Scrape the sides and mix again quickly.
Add the egg and molasses. Mix until combined. Scrape the sides and mix again.
Add in half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Repeat with the other half. Mix until the flour is mixed in. The dough might not have come completely together.
Divide the dough into two and make each half into a ball that is slightly flattened. Place it in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready to roll out the dough, take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Take out your baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.
Prepare your rolling surface. I like to use a large cutting board and dust it with flour. When rolling out gingerbread try to use the least amount of flour that you can. That way the dough will roll out better when you have to re-roll it.
Roll out the dough to about 1/4" thick and use your desired cookie cutters. Repeat until you have used up all of the dough.
Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes. This will depend on how large your cookies are and how crispy you want them.
Once they are done, take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling sheet to completely cool.
Store the cookies in an airtight container. They will last for 5-7 days at room temperature and 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If you wanted to freeze them they will last up to 6 months.
Glaze
If you are going to to the glaze for your cookies, get out a small bowl and mix together the milk and the powdered sugar with a spoon. Mix until there aren't any more sugar clumps. Adjust the consistency as necessary.
Using a pastry brush, coat the cookies with the glaze. Let them dry on a drying rack until it has hardened. Then store in an airtight container. The glazed cookies will last about 5 days at room temperature and two weeks in the refrigerator. If you wanted to freeze them they should last about 2-3 months.
Frosting
If you are going to frost your cookies, place your butter in your mixer and beat for a minute.
Add in about a third of the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated.
Add in the vanilla and 2 tbsp of milk. Mix until incorporated.
If you are using food coloring add it into the mixing bowl.
Add in another third of the powdered sugar and mix, Then repeat until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated.
Add in the remaining 3 tbsp of milk and mix.
Let the frosting mix for a few minutes.
Frost your cookies or store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The frosting will last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. The frosted cookies will last about 5 days at room temperature and 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If you wanted to freeze them they should last about 2-3 months.
Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
This is a great recipe for your holiday gingerbread cookies or houses! Makes about 3 dozen small/medium sized cookies.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Equipment
baking sheets
parchment paper
Rolling Pin
Cookie Cutters
Large Cutting Board (optional)
plastic wrap
Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 2/3 cup molasses
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
Frosting
- 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar (one 16 oz. bag)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 5 tbsp milk
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookies
Crack your egg into a small bowl and set aside.
In your mixing bowl add the softened butter and sugar.
In another bowl combine your flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Before you start mixing, set out two pieces of plastic wrap for the dough when you are done.
Cream the butter and sugar together until it is fluffy. Scrape the sides and mix again quickly.
Add the egg and molasses. Mix until combined. Scrape the sides and mix again.
Add in half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Repeat with the other half. Mix until the flour is mixed in. The dough might not have come completely together.
Divide the dough into two and make each half into a ball that is slightly flattened. Place it in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready to roll out the dough, take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Take out your baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.
Prepare your rolling surface. I like to use a large cutting board and dust it with flour. When rolling out gingerbread try to use the least amount of flour that you can. That way the dough will roll out better when you have to re-roll it.
Roll out the dough to about 1/4" thick and use your desired cookie cutters. Repeat until you have used up all of the dough.
Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes. This will depend on how large your cookies are and how crispy you want them.
Once they are done, take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling sheet to completely cool.
Store the cookies in an airtight container. They will last for 5-7 days at room temperature and 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If you wanted to freeze them they will last up to 6 months.
Glaze
If you are going to to the glaze for your cookies, get out a small bowl and mix together the milk and the powdered sugar with a spoon. Mix until there aren't any more sugar clumps. Adjust the consistency as necessary.
Using a pastry brush, coat the cookies with the glaze. Let them dry on a drying rack until it has hardened. Then store in an airtight container. The glazed cookies will last about 5 days at room temperature and two weeks in the refrigerator. If you wanted to freeze them they should last about 2-3 months.
Frosting
If you are going to frost your cookies, place your butter in your mixer and beat for a minute.
Add in about a third of the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated.
Add in the vanilla and 2 tbsp of milk. Mix until incorporated.
If you are using food coloring add it into the mixing bowl.
Add in another third of the powdered sugar and mix, Then repeat until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated.
Add in the remaining 3 tbsp of milk and mix.
Let the frosting mix for a few minutes.
Frost your cookies or store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The frosting will last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. The frosted cookies will last about 5 days at room temperature and 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If you wanted to freeze them they should last about 2-3 months.
