Soft gingerbread cookies are the ultimate holiday treat – spiced with ginger, cinnamon and allspice, and made irresistibly chewy with rich molasses. These classic Christmas cookies are full of warm flavor and stay perfectly soft for days, making them ideal for cookie swaps, festive dessert trays, or cozy nights by the tree. Whether you decorate them with icing, sprinkles or enjoy them plain, this easy gingerbread cookie recipe is one you’ll want to bake every holiday season.
My family and friends can’t get enough of these gingerbread cookies. I’ve toned the spices and left out the cloves, which keeps the flavor kid friendly while still delivering that classic gingerbread taste. I’ve been baking this recipe for over 20 years, and it never disappoints! In fact, after one playdate, a mom sent me a note saying her son – who usually doesn’t even like cookies- absolutely loved these gingerbread cookies.
Why You Will Love These Gingerbread Cookies
- Soft, pillowy texture – these cookies are tender and chewy.
- Cozy spice blend – just the right mix of ginger, cinnamon, and allspice for that classic holiday flavor without being overpowering.
- Kid-approved – gentle spices (no strong cloves) make them a trat the whole family will love.
- Simple to make – with eay pantry ingredients, you can whip up a batch anytime.
- Great for sharing – perfect for holiday cookie trays, gifting to friends, or bringing to a cookie exchange.
Equipment Needed
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This recipe uses basic baking tools, but if you’re stocking up or upgrading your kitchen gear, these items will come in handy:
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Stand Mixer with mixing bowls or hand mixer with a large mixing bowl.
- Cooling Rack
- Plastic Wrap
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
All-purpose flour – provides structure and body for the cookies, giving them a tender but sturdy bite.
Ground ginger – the star spice, adding warmth and that signature gingerbread flavor.
Ground cinnamon – complements the ginger with a sweet, cozy spice note.
Allspice – deepens the flavor profile with hints of clove and nutmeg in one spice.
Baking soda – helps the cookies rise slightly and spread, giving them a soft, chewy texture.
Salted butter, melted – adds rich flavor, keeps the cookies moist, and the melted form helps create that soft chew.
Dark brown sugar – sweetens while adding moisture and a subtle molasses flavor, contributing to chewiness.
Egg – binds the dough together and adds structure while also contributing richness.
Molasses (not blackstrap or sulphured) – key to the classic gingerbread taste, adding deep flavor, moisture, and chew.
Royal Icing – for decorating (optional)
Sprinkles and/or small candies – for decorating (optional)
How To Make Gingerbread Cookies
Full measurements are given in the printable recipe card below.
Making the Cookie Dough
In a large mixing bowl stir together 3 cups of the all-purpose flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and allspice. Set aside. Keep the last 1 cup of all-purpose flour aside for later.
In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer or hand held mixer beat together the melted butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes. It will become thick and fluffy.
Add in the egg and molasses and continue beating until fully combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl while the mixer is on low. You can add it all over a period of about a minute.
Add the last 1 cup of flour in ¼ cup increments while the mixer is going, just until the dough is soft but not sticky. Its possible you may not need to add it all, or you may need to add an extra tablespoon or so. I added the total 4 cups of flour in my batch. See Pro Tips.
Chilling the Gingerbread Dough
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into two balls that you flatten into disks. Cover each of the discs completely with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 7 days. Alternatively, you can also place it in the freezer for thirty minutes.
After the dough has chilled, remove one of the discs from the fridge. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼” thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes of your preference, and place the cookie shapes onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing about a half inch apart. See Pro Tips if your cookie shapes are sticking to the cutters or floured surface.
Place the cookie sheet back in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F while cookies are chilling.
Baking the Gingerbread Cookies
Bake the cookies on the center rack for 8-10 minutes. When done, the cookies will be matte and not glossy, and they may just begin to brown around the edges. Time will depend on the thickness and overall size of the cookie.
Decorating Soft Gingerbread Cookies
When decorating use your favorite icing, or you can make my royal icing which is perfect for these cookies. Make sure it will hold its shape for decorating. If it seems too thin mix in some icing sugar until you get the consistency you want, or if it is too thick you can add a few drops of water. The water goes a long way, add it very sparingly! I’ve made this mistake in the past and you end up having to add a lot of icing sugar to thicken it back up again 😓. When I pull a spoon full of the icing out of the bowl and allow it to drop back in, it flows from the spoon and only holds it shape on the surface for about 8 seconds before it is totally “melted” back in. You can add food coloring to the icing if you want, but just remember if it is a liquid it will thin it down a tiny bit.
Place the royal icing into a piping bag with the tip you want to use to decorate with. For these cookies I used a #2 tip. I have also decorated gingerbread cookies using a small ziploc bag. Just cut a tiny corner out of one end and you can squeeze the icing out and it does a very good job too. See Pro Tips for more information.
You can add sprinkles and candies while the icing is still wet and it will act as a glue to hold them on. Then allow the cookies to rest for about 2 hours so that the icing can harden.
Pro Tips and Tricks
- The type of molasses I used in this recipe is called “Fancy” molasses (aka Light). It comes from the first sugar cane boiling and it is mild, sweet, and a lighter brown color. But you could also uses Dark Molasses, which comes from the second boiling of sugar cane juices it is richer and slightly more bitter though. Don’t use blackstrap molasses which is from the third boiling and it is very dark, strong, and more bitter and has a high mineral content. Also don’t use sulphured – this is from sugar cane which has been treated with sulphur dioxide and doesn’t taste as good.
- This recipe calls for 4 cups of flour divided. Because flour absorbs water from the environment, if the humidity is high you may have to add more than on a day when the humidity is low. Just make sure that the final product is soft but not sticky. I added the total 4 cups to my batch. If the dough is sticking to your cookie cutters or to the floured surface then you haven’t added enough flour to the dough. You can gather the dough back up into a ball and sprinkle more flour on it, roll it out continuing to sprinkle more flour on the top and bottom until the dough is no longer sticky.
- When decorating, it is helpful to hold the tip of the icing bag about an inch above the cookie so you can control the “string” of icing a bit better. It takes a bit of practice, but you will get the hang of it.
FAQs
Can I make this gingerbread cookie dough ahead of time? Yes, this dough can be made ahead of time. When you get to making the two discs of dough and chilling in the fridge, you can keep them chilled in the fridge for up to 7 days. Then just continue on with the recipe when you are ready. You could also place the wrapped dough in zipper top bags and freeze for up to three months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge and then continue on with the recipe.
How long do gingerbread cookies last? The baked cookies can last 1-2 weeks in an airtight container on the counter (which makes them great for mailing to friends). They can also be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Just thaw individual cookies on the counter for about 15 minutes before serving.
What should I serve with these soft gingerbread cookies? These cookies can be served on their own with a glass of milk, cup of cocoa, tea or coffee. They would also be great on a platter with an assortment of other Christmas cookies as well like my shortbread cookies.
Why are my cookies spreading out too much? Make sure to chill the dough before rolling it out and again after cutting shapes out, this will help with spreading. Too much spreading may also be a sign of not adding enough flour to the dough.
Can I use this recipe for a gingerbread house? No, this recipe would not be great for a gingerbread house as it is quite soft. I am working on a gingerbread house recipe to share in the future.
Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
For Cookie Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour spooned and levelled, divided (493g)
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup salted butter melted (170g)
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar lightly packed (159g)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup molasses not blackstrap or sulphured (183g)
Decorating Cookies
- Royal Icing
- Sprinkles and/or small candies
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl stir together 3 cups of the all-purpose flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and allspice. Set aside. Keep the last 1 cup of all-purpose flour aside for later.
- In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer or hand held mixer beat together the melted butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes. It will become thick and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and molasses and continue beating until fully combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl while the mixer is on low. You can add it all over a period of about a minute.
- Add the last 1 cup of flour in ¼ cup increments while the mixer is going, just until the dough is soft but not sticky. Its possible you may not need to add it all, or you may need to add an extra tablespoon or so. See Notes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into two balls that you flatten into disks. Cover each of the discs completely with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour. Alternatively, you can also place it in the freezer for thirty minutes.
- After the dough has chilled, remove one of the discs from the fridge (best to work with one disc at a time). Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼” thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes of your preference, and place the cookie shapes onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing about a half inch apart. You can re-roll out the scraps to make more shapes until you have no dough leftover.
- Place the cookie sheet back in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F while cookies are chilling.
- Bake the cookies on the center rack for 8-10 minutes. When done, the cookies will be matte and not glossy, and they may just begin to brown around the edges. Time will depend on the thickness and overall size of the cookie.
Decorating the Gingerbread Cookies
- Make sure your royal icing will hold its shape for decorating (I have a recipe for royal icing on my website, there is a link at the bottom). If it seems too thin mix in some icing sugar until you get the consistency you want, or if it is too thick you can add a few drops of water. The water goes a long way, add it very sparingly! I've made this mistake in the past and you end up having to add a lot of icing sugar to thicken it back up again 😓. When I pull a spoon full of the icing out of the bowl and allow it to drop back in, it flows from the spoon and only holds it shape on the surface for about 10 seconds before it is totally "melted" back in. You can add food coloring to the icing if you want, but just remember if it is a liquid it will thin the icing a bit.
- Place the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with your desired tip. I used a #2 tip for these cookies, but you can also use a small Ziploc bag – simply cut a tiny corner and squeeze the icing out. It works surprisingly well! See Notes for more guidance.
- You can add sprinkles and candies while the icing sugar is still wet and it will act as a glue to hold them on. Then allow the cookies to rest for about 2 hours so that the icing can harden.
Notes
- The type of molasses I used in this recipe is called “Fancy” molasses (aka Light). It comes from the first sugar cane boiling and it is mild, sweet, and a lighter brown color. But you could also uses Dark Molasses, which comes from the second boiling of sugar cane juices it is richer and slightly more bitter though. Don’t use blackstrap molasses which is from the third boiling and it is very dark, strong, and more bitter and has a high mineral content. Also don’t use sulphured – this is from sugar cane which has been treated with sulphur dioxide and doesn’t taste as good.
- This recipe calls for 4 cups of flour divided. Because flour absorbs water from the environment, if the humidity is high you may have to add more than on a day when the humidity is low. Just make sure that the final product is soft but not sticky. I added the total 4 cups to my batch. If the dough is sticking to your cookie cutters or to the floured surface then you haven’t added enough flour to the dough. You can gather the dough back up into a ball and sprinkle more flour on it, roll it out continuing to sprinkle more flour on the top and bottom until the dough is no longer sticky.
- When decorating, it is helpful to hold the tip of the icing bag about an inch above the cookie so you can control the “string” of icing a bit better. It takes a bit of practice, but you will get the hang of it.
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I needed a recipe for a cut out cookie and this looks perfect. I have it bookmarked for December!
These gingerbread cookies sound perfect for the holidays! I love that they stay soft and chewy, and I can already imagine how fun it will be to decorate them, definitely saving this recipe to try soon.
I have this on my Holiday baking list now! Thank you!
These are beautifully done! Makes me excited for the holidays!