Like just about any cookie, the gingerbread variety require the perfect balance of chewy and crunchy. And for that reason, it can be hard to find the right recipe – but mark our words, this here is the one. Although all gingerbread recipes start out the same, this recipe really changed the game.
From taste to texture, this recipe is going to win everyone over this holiday season – we even dare you to make the outcasted gingerbread-hater in the family try them and watch their minds change before your eyes.
Ingredients in Gingerbread Cookies
1. Molasses + spices for flavor
2. Flour so the cookies can hold the extra molasses (you won’t regret it) and keep their shape
3. Egg so the gingerbread has structure and richness
4. Brown sugar instead of white sugar
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies
Before you start, make sure you properly anticipating the full process – which will go like this:
Chilling the dough: Once you’ve beaten everything together, you’re going to have some very sticky dough on your hands. Chilling it for at least 3 hours is essential – it’s the only way to make sure the dough will be firm enough to form cookies out of which hold their shape.
Wrap it up: Later on, when it’s time to roll it out, it’s much easier if it’s already in a disc shape. Therefore I developed this little trip: chill it in a disc shape first! Cut the dough in half, wrap each half into plastic wrap, and flatten it into ready-to-roll discs. Flatter dough will even chill faster (less volume)
Roll it out: Once the dough’s chilled, roll out the discs until they’re about 1/4-inch thick. Flour will really help make the dough manageable at this stage, so go crazy with it and flour your hands, rolling pin, work surface, and even the closest person’s nose (that’s obviously mandatory).
Prepare your ingredients
* 10 Tablespoons (145g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
* 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
* 2/3 cup (200g) unsulphured molasses
* 1 large egg, at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 3 and 1/2 cups (437g) all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
* 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* optional: easy cookie icing or royal icing
Now for the step-by-step
1. Grab your biggest bowl and beat the butter until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat until creamy-looking, then scrape everything stuck on the sides down to the bottom, and beat in the egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. Don’t fear a little separated butter. Set aside.
2. Next bowl: whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined. Then, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. Needless to say, an electric beater will make this easier, but either way – YOU CAN DO IT! Remember to anticipate some serious stick.
3. Time to divide, wrap, and flatten – as described above.
*These discs can be chilled for anywhere from 3 hours to 3 days.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone baking mats. Set aside (don’t leave in the oven!)
5. Take your first dough disc out of the fridge, and start rolling it out with a rolling pin on a well-floured surface (re-flour as needed), until 1/4 in thick. Cut into shapes, preferably with a cookie cutter – but hey, any shape will taste the same. Place cookies as you go 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with remaining disc of dough.
6. If cookies are smaller than 4 inches, bake for about 8 minutes. If cookies are larger than 4 inches, bake for about 11 minutes.
7. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
These cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week!