Soft baked gingerbread cookies! I mean, are these not the cutest little cookies ever?! So fun and festive, they always bring a smile to my face! And my taste buds!
But let’s be real for a second. Some gingerbread cookies are just plain sad. Hard and stale, or tasting like cardboard. Yuck! But let me promise you that these cookies are NOT like the sad versions you buy in the stores.
These babies are SO SOFT and will stay soft for daysss!! Thick and chewy and flavored with those very familiar gingerbread spices. Not to mention decorated with quick and easy royal icing for a touch of extra sweetness. Arguably the most iconic and festive cookie of the season.
How to Make Soft Baked Gingerbread Cookies
Mixing: Start by mixing the dry and the wet ingredients in separate bowls, with the wet ingredients being mixed in a stand mixer. Then gradually add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer on low speed, in about 2 or 3 additions.
Stop the mixer a few times to scrape up the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly incorporated. The dough will be thick and slightly tacky. Divide into two portions of dough and wrap tighly in plastic wrap.
Chilling: This is a crucial step in achieving the best gingerbread cookies. The dough naturally can be a bit sticky and therefore more tricky to handle. So ensuring proper chill time will help the cookies hold there shape and not spread during baking.
We want the cookie dough to be firm and managable for rolling and cutting out shapes. Make sure to allow for at least 3 hours of chill time when making this recipe, or plan to chill the dough overnight.
We’ll also place cut out cookies into the freezer for 10 minutes right before baking them to really lock in that shape!
Rolling: Once the dough is thoroughly chilled and manageable it’s time to roll it out. I find it easiest to roll this type of dough between two layers of parment paper to avoid any sticking. Otherwise you’ll want to generously flour your work surface and rolling pin.
I’ve called for a bit of an odd or precise thickness for rolling out these cookies. In my opinion, gingerbread cookies are best when they are a little on the thicker side vs standard sugar cookies. It helps achieve the soft and chewy texture we want!
While 3/8″ may sound daunting just remember to go for somewhere between 1/4″ and 1/2″ thickness.
Decorating Gingerbread Cookies
I have way to much fun decorating these cookies! And I hope you do too! I like keeping it simple with clean white royal icing for gingerbread cookies. I think it really *pops* on the darker cookie color.
To decorate you’ll need some royal icing, a piping bag and one small round piping tip, such as a Wilton #2 tip. I’ve included directions for making royal icing at home, but you can also pick some up at a local baking or craft store if you prefer.
Royal icing is most commonly used for gingerbread cookies and houses because it dries hard. Making it great if you need to stack the cookies on top of one another or as the “glue” for a gingerbread house.
Get creative with your piping! Make little faces and outfits for the gingerbread people! Create lines or zig-zags for things like presents and candy canes. Rejoice in the uniqeness of each snowflake! Let your creative juices flow!
Or take it a step further and mix things up by coloring your icing or using small candies as additional decorations. The options are endless!
Soft Baked Gingerbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours 30 min (includes chilling time)
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: about 2–3 dozen cookies (depending on cutter size) 1x
Description
Thick and chewy soft baked gingerbread cookies, bursting with holiday spiced flavor. A perfect canvas for decorating!
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup molasses
Royal Icing
- 1 1/2 tbsp meringue powder
- 3 tbsp water (plus more to reach desired consistency)
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookies
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Mix in molasses and the egg.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing slowly. Scrap up the bottom and sides of bowl to capture any remaining dry ingredients.
- Place dough onto a clean work surface and gently knead into a large ball. Divide the dough in two, shape into disks, wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill for about 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll out the dough to about 3/8 inch thick, cut out shapes using desired cookie cutters, and place on prepared baking sheet. Place cut out cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Bake cookies for 9-10 min, until cookies are puffed and set around the edges. Let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
Royal Icing
- Place meringue powder and 3 tbsp water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment to whip together for 1-2 minutes until frothy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and begin mixing on a medium – medium high speed. Continue mixing until the icing is thick and forms peaks, about 5 minutes.
- At this point the icing is at a thick consistency. To get to a looser piping consistency you will need to add more water and keep mixing. The amount of water you need to add can vary greatly, so start with adding 1/2 – 1 tsp of water at a time then mixing and checking the consistency. To decorate similar to what is shown in the pictures, keep adding water/mixing until icing reaches a flowing/soft consistency. The icing should have very soft floppy peaks and settle smoothly back into itself when allowed to drizzle off the whisk.
- Place the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, such as a Wilton #2 or #3 tip. Decorate cookies as desired with the royal icing. Allow to dry flat for several hours, or ideally overnight before moving or stacking the cookies.
Notes
- You may need to adjust the baking time +/- 1 minute if you have smaller or larger cookie cutters. The cookies pictured here are roughly 3-4 inch sized shapes.
- You may also need to reduce baking time if you roll your dough thinner than 3/8 inch. If you roll to 1/4 inch thickness reduce baking time by 1-2 minutes, or the cookies will end up a little bit crunchier (but still delicious).
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