Seriously Soft Gingerbread Cookies

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Learn how to bake the best soft gingerbread cookies without any fuss or complicated ingredients. A definite holiday favorite- these soft gingerbread cookies are made with molasses and a variety of spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, making them perfect for Christmas baking!

soft gingerbread cookies on a baking pan with a red and green checkered towel

Sing it with me…. it’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas cookie season, woohoo!

Definitely in my top 5 favorite Christmas cookie recipes, these soft gingerbread cookies make an appearance every year at my house! Soft, chewy, and then rolled in sugar to create a crackly exterior, they really cannot be beat.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • COZY AND FESTIVE FLAVORS: These cookies are packed full of festive flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, making them a great holiday cookie!
  • SOFT AND CHEWY: If you love a chewy cookie, this recipe is for you! These cookies boast a soft interior with crisp edges and a delicious crackle from being rolled in granulated sugar right before being baked.
  • PERFECT FOR COOKIE SWAPS: These cookies are great to make ahead of time and store well for days, making them a great portable holiday treat.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Flour: I used unbleached organic all purpose flour in this recipe.
  • Sugar: You will need both brown and white sugar for this recipe. Brown sugar gets added to the cookie dough, while white sugar is used to coat the exterior before baking.
  • Butter: You’ll need 3/4 cup of softened butter. Salted or unsalted works just fine.
  • Egg: Room temperature works best. It also adds richness and helps promote a chewy cookie.
  • Baking Soda: This helps the cookies rise.
  • Salt: Flavor enhancer! I love and use Redmond mineral salt.
  • Spices: Classic spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.
  • Molasses: An essential ingredient! 1/4 cup of molasses gets added to the batter to add sweetness and flavor.
  • Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract is best and adds great flavor.

How to Make Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium bowl, cream together softened butter and brown sugar until combined.
  3. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract until light (about 1 minute).
  4. Begin adding in the dry ingredients, mixing until combined.
  5.  Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 1 hour and up to overnight.
  6. Once ready to bake the cookies, remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough has chilled longer than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
  7. Using a medium size cookie scoop, scoop out and roll cookie dough into balls of equal size. Roll each in granulated sugar and arrange 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until they are just barely starting to turn golden brown and the edges appear set.
  8. For best results, let them sit on the baking pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
  9. Baked cookies will store well in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • a ball of gingerbread cookie dough being rolled in white granulated sugar
  • balls of gingerbread cookie dough rolled in sugar on a baking sheet

As an alternative, you can chill and then roll out this gingerbread cookie dough and use cookie cutters to make fun and festive shapes. Top the shaped cookies with a simple royal icing, like the one featured in this sourdough sugar cookie recipe.

Tips & Tricks

  • I HIGHLY recommend chilling the dough for at least an hour for best results. I typically chill mine overnight and bake the next day.
  • If chilling overnight, I like to set out the bowl of cookie dough to thaw on the counter before trying to scoop, shape, and roll the cookies. Letting the dough come to room temperature makes this process much easier.
  • I always like to slightly underbake my cookies in order to obtain a chewier texture. They will continue to cook briefly on the cookie sheet once they are pulled out of the oven.
  • Using room temperature ingredients really does make a difference!
  • If you don’t own a stand mixer, you can still easily make this recipe using a large bowl and an electric handheld mixer.

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FAQs & Storage

Yes! These cookies can be made ahead of time and placed in the freezer until ready to bake. Sometimes I will make double the amount of cookie dough just so I can freeze some to have at a later time. My method for this is to scoop out balls of cookie dough and add them to a gallon sized freezer safe bag, making sure I store the bag laying flat in the freezer. Once you are ready to bake, you can pop the cookies straight from the freezer into the oven, or set out on the counter to thaw beforehand. If you are putting them straight in the oven from the freezer, you may need to adjust your baking time to allow the frozen dough extra time to bake.

These cookies store well at room temperature on the counter for up to 3 days, or an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you haven’t heard of the bread trick, definitely try it! Simply add a small slice of bread to your container to keep your cookies extra soft!

You sure can! This dough can be made up to three days in advance. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to bake.

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Yield: 16 cookies

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

soft gingerbread cookies on a baking pan with a red and green checkered towel

A definite holiday favorite- these soft gingerbread cookies are made with molasses and a variety of spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, making them perfect for Christmas baking!

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup (12 TB) butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground ginger

Rolling the Cookies

  • 1/3 cup granulated white sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium bowl, cream together softened butter and brown sugar until combined.
  3. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract until light (about 1 minute).
  4. Begin adding in the dry ingredients, mixing until combined.
  5. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 1 hour and up to overnight.
  6. Once ready to bake the cookies, remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough has chilled longer than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
  7. Using a medium size cookie scoop, scoop out and roll cookie dough into balls of equal size. Roll each in granulated sugar and arrange 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until they are just barely starting to turn golden brown and the edges appear set.
  8. For best results, let them sit on the baking pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
  9. Baked cookies will store well in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • I HIGHLY recommend chilling the dough for at least an hour for best results. I typically chill mine overnight and bake the next day.
  • If chilling overnight, I like to set out the bowl of cookie dough to thaw on the counter before trying to scoop, shape, and roll the cookies. Letting the dough come to room temperature makes this process much easier.
  • I always like to slightly underbake my cookies in order to obtain a chewier texture. They will continue to cook briefly on the cookie sheet once they are pulled out of the oven.
  • Using room temperature ingredients really does make a difference!
  • If you don’t own a stand mixer, you can still easily make this recipe using a large bowl and an electric handheld mixer.

    • Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    16

    Serving Size:

    1
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 130Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 240mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g

    Did you make this recipe?

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    © Rachael

    If you loved this recipe for soft gingerbread cookies, make sure to come back and leave a comment and a 5 star rating! I would love to hear how these cookies turned out for you.

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    Rachael

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