Description
These gingerbread cookies strike the perfect balance: soft yet sturdy, warmly spiced without being overpowering. They’re easy to bake, fun to decorate, and sure to become a holiday favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups (381 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, (at cool room temperature)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup molasses (unsulphured, but not blackstrap) (168 grams)
- 2 cups (250 grams) powdered sugar, (sifted)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth (1 to 2 minutes), then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg and molasses and beat until combined.
- On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.
- Shape the dough into a thick disk and wrap in plastic, then refrigerate until chilled (about 2 hours or up to 2 days).
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and let it stand until just pliable enough to roll with ease.
- Place the chilled dough between two large pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap on a work surface and use a rolling pin to bring the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness.
- Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the dough and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing at least a 1/2-inch apart.
- Reroll remaining scraps of dough into 1/4-inch thickness and cut out more shapes.
- Bake for 11 minutes (or 13 for crisper cookies), or until the cookies are set and the edges are slightly browned, rotating sheets halfway through.
- Let the cookies cool on the pans for 3 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients until a thick and smooth icing forms. Add more milk if the icing is too thick, or more sifted powdered sugar if it’s too thin.
- Transfer the icing to a small squeeze bottle, piping bag, or zip-top bag with a small hole cut in the corner and decorate the cookies with the icing. Allow to set before serving or storing.
Notes
- Prep Time: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 15mg