These Gingerbread Cookies are perfect for getting you in the Holiday spirit. An award-winning recipe with warm spices and molasses!
Merry Christmas!
These Award Winning Gingerbread Cookies will get you feeling festive and make your Christmas Cookie Exchange clamor for the recipe! Shared by a family friend, they have won three cookie competitions!
Making these cookies is a delightful and stress-free experience. Mixing together butter, sugar, and molasses creates a dough that’s both easy to handle and bursting with flavor. Rolling the dough into balls, giving them a sugary coating, and watching them transform into cookies with a delightful crunch on the outside and a soft, tender inside is simply heartwarming. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting out, these Gingerbread Cookies are a treat that will add a touch of holiday magic to your gatherings. So, let’s whip up some homemade joy and make your holidays even more special!
Other yummy Christmas Recipes like Strawberry Pavlova and Turtle Cheesecake can create quite the buzz too!
Video: How to Make Gingerbread Cookies
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Sabrina’s Gingerbread Cookie recipe is your ticket to the heartwarming flavors of the holiday season. Imagine a magical mix of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses, all in one cookie. It’s like a cozy holiday hug in dessert form! Sound interesting? Then you’ll love to try our Santa Gingerbread Pancakes.
Gingerbread cookies trace their origins to medieval Europe, with spices like ginger arriving through Crusaders. Initially a luxury, they featured intricate shapes and gold leaf decoration. Over time, gingerbread cookies became a festive treat at European fairs and holidays. European settlers brought gingerbread traditions to North America in the 17th century, leading to the development of the classic gingerbread cookie we enjoy today, especially during Christmas.
Creating these cookies is as easy as a winter breeze. You’ll whip up a batch by creaming butter, sugar, and molasses, adding a splash of orange juice, and blending it all with dry ingredients. Roll the dough in sugar for an extra touch of sweetness, and voilà! You’ve got cookies that are perfect for family gatherings and festive parties.
Can These Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes, they can! The dough can be refrigerated for 1-2 days in advance. This makes it a convenient option for those looking to prepare in advance and bake fresh, warm cookies when needed!
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups Flour: The primary dry ingredient, flour serves as the base, providing structure and texture to the cookies. All-purpose flour works best.
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger: Ground ginger adds that delightful, signature spiciness to the cookies, infusing them with warm and zesty flavor. It’s a key player in gingerbread cookies, and there’s no perfect substitute.
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda: Baking soda acts as a leavening agent, making the cookies rise and become light and fluffy.
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon: Cinnamon brings that cozy, aromatic sweetness to the cookies, enhancing their overall warmth. Cinnamon is a gingerbread essential.
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves: Ground cloves provide a unique, earthy depth of flavor, complementing the ginger.
- ¼ teaspoon Salt: Salt enhances the overall taste by balancing sweetness and intensifying other flavors. Regular table salt or sea salt both work well.
- ¾ cup Butter, softened: Butter adds richness and moisture to the cookies, making them tender and flavorful. Unsalted butter is preferred, but you can use salted butter and adjust the added salt accordingly.
- 1 cup Sugar: Sugar sweetens the dough and adds that classic cookie sweetness. You can use white sugar or granulated sugar, or even brown sugar for a slightly stronger molasses flavor.
- 1 large Egg: The egg binds the ingredients together and adds moisture, resulting in a chewy texture.
- 1 tablespoon Orange juice: Orange juice provides a subtle citrusy note that balances the spices.
- ¼ cup Molasses: Molasses is the star of gingerbread cookies, giving them their iconic flavor and color.
- ¼ cup Sugar (for rolling): This additional sugar is used to coat the dough before baking, creating a sweet and slightly crispy exterior. You can use coarse sugar for extra crunch or regular granulated sugar.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
Mixing Bowls: Mixing bowls are essential for combining dry and wet ingredients. Choose a set with various sizes to accommodate different stages of the recipe.
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer: A stand mixer or hand mixer makes creaming butter and sugar a breeze. It ensures a uniform dough consistency. Tip: Start at a low speed to prevent ingredients from flying out of the bowl.
Measuring Cups and Spoons: Precise measurements are crucial in baking. Use measuring cups and spoons to portion flour, sugar, and other ingredients accurately.
Spatula: A spatula helps scrape every bit of dough from the mixing bowl and ensures nothing goes to waste.
Baking Sheets: Baking sheets are where your cookies come to life. Use rimmed baking sheets to prevent cookies from spreading too much. Tip: Line the sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
How to Make Easy Gingerbread Cookies
Time needed: 3 hours and 15 minutes.
- Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt. Set this dry flour mixture aside.
- Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugar
In a separate mixing bowl, or your electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and white sugar until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Step 3: Add Egg and Orange Juice
Add a large egg to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Then, mix in the tablespoon of orange juice until well combined.
- Step 4: Incorporate Molasses
Gradually add the ¼ cup of molasses to the wet mixture and mix until it’s fully integrated.
- Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Incorporate the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients in small batches, mixing until just combined. Avoid overmixing; you want the dough to come together without overworking it.
- Step 6: Chill the Dough
Refrigerate the cookie dough for 2-3 hours. If you’re in a hurry, you can place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm it up.
- Step 7: Preheat Oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Step 8: Shape and Coat
Take about 2 tablespoons of dough, roll it into balls, and roll each ball in the ¼ cup of sugar to coat. Place them on a baking sheet, leaving space for spreading.
- Step 9: Flatten and Bake
Flatten each dough ball to the thickness of a double-stuffed Oreo. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Avoid overbaking; you want them slightly soft in the center.
- Step 10: Cool and Enjoy
Once done, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. Enjoy your freshly baked Gingerbread Cookies!
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
Store leftover gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, maintaining their texture and flavor.
Reheating
If cookies become slightly stale, microwave briefly with a damp paper towel for a fresh-baked taste.
Freezing Cookies
Freeze Gingerbread Cookies by first placing them on a baking sheet until solid, then transferring to an airtight container or freezer bag for long-term storage, up to 2-3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chilling gingerbread cookie dough is not strictly required, but it is highly recommended for better results. Chilling the dough allows the flavors to meld and enhances the texture of the cookies. It also makes the dough easier to handle and roll, preventing excessive spreading during baking and resulting in thicker, chewier cookies.
If you don’t have the orange juice feel free to use water. The orange juice really makes the flavor pop. It doesn’t taste like orange, it is similar to when you add coffee to a chocolate cake batter to intensify the chocolate flavor. It is like a secret ingredient that makes the cookie go from good to award-winning!
When you form the dough into a ball and roll it into the sugar be sure you press it down a bit. Use a water glass bottom to press it down to about ½ the ball’s thickness.
These cookies will travel well if shipped with 1-2 day shipping. Make sure to package them securely in an airtight and well-cushioned container. They’re also a favorite cookie and an anchor recipe of any Christmas Cookie Swap Plate.
To convert measurements to grams, click on the “Metric” option next to “Ingredients” in the recipe card. For example, ¼ cup of molasses is approximately 30 grams.
Yes, adding a tablespoon or two of chopped crystallized ginger bits can be a tasty addition to the recipe.
You can try our Royal Icing recipe, which pairs well with these cookies. You can find the recipe here: Royal Icing Recipe.
Using a gingerbread man mold can be a fun and creative twist to the recipe. It can result in puffier and more festive-shaped cookies.
The recipe calls for plain all-purpose flour. There’s no need to use self-rising or specialty flours.
If you prefer smaller cookies, you can adjust the size to 1 tablespoon each. The original recipe suggests using 2 tablespoon-sized balls.
Orange juice helps balance the flavors of ginger and molasses in the cookies. It doesn’t impart an orange taste but enhances the overall flavor profile
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter , softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.)
- Cream the butter and 1 cup sugar.
- Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the orange juice and molasses (I use light molasses) until combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients in small batches until just combined.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, if you can't at least put it in the freezer for a half an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In about 2 tablespoon balls, roll into the ¼ cup sugar and flatten so it looks like the thickness of a double stuff Oreo, really thick but clearly flattened.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Click on the “yield” amount to slide and change the number of servings and the recipe will automatically update!
- To convert measurements to grams, click on the “Metric” option next to “Ingredients” in the recipe card.
Nutrition
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More Festive Christmas Cookies
Photos used in previous versions of this post.
Do you recommend rolling in regular sugar or sanding sugar. Thanks. Can’t wait to try these!!!
I just used regular sugar. Enjoy!
I love this recipe and have made them the last couple years. This year I wanted to make them for all my co workers. It’s a large amount of cookies. About 200. I was wondering how I should go about scaling the recipe or if I should just make a lot of batches 🙂 please help!
Hi. I made these this year on a friend’s recommendation. I used the 2 tbsp. measure you recommended and the cookies are huge! I only got half the 36 number your recipe says. I was reluctant to reduce the size because of the bake time but I’ll play around with the portions in the future. Not all complaints, though. The house smells amazing and my tongue is tingling, which is something I want in a gingerbread cookie. Thank you. The taste is amazing and much easier and less time confusing than trying to find Pepperidge Farms’ version. I’ll never buy store bought again.
Such a great compliment, Phil. Thanks!
OUTSTANDING!! My recipe made about two dozen nice-sized cookies. Some had crinkles in them and some did not which didn’t affect the taste, I just like the crinkles.
Wondering what I did wrong. I refrigerated the dough for about 2 hours, 20 minutes. Definitely a keeper!!
OMG! Sooo good! My taste buds were in HEAVEN.
I can believe these won 3 contests! They’re delicious.!
Yay!! Glad you enjoyed them, Laura.
How are these best stored?
You want to store them in a covered jar or air tight container.
THE BEST HOLIDAY COOKIES EVER! I first tried this recipe about 4 years ago, and I brought them to my boyfriend’s family Christmas party. Everyone loved them, and I have been expected to bring them every year since. They are so simple, fun to make, and absolutely delicious. I make them for every event I go to during the holiday season, and all of my family and friends love them. Thank you so much for this incredible recipe! It has become a wonderful tradition that I will keep going for the rest of my life!
That’s awesome!
I made these throughout the month of Dec-ginger cookies to me are holiday cookies. :). Everyone I gave them to requested I bake again. I have another batch in the oven today as a friend asked if I would mind making them one more time :). thanks for sharing the recipe.
I tried this recipe this Christmas and they were the hit of the season. None of my normal standard holiday recipes could compare. Be sure to leave plenty of room on the cookie sheet so they stay nice and round. My cookies were perfectly done and lasted over a week in a ziploc bag.
Hi Sabrina, these look amazing and I’m planning on making them for my Dad who loves ginger! I wanted to know, roughly how long would these last in an air tight container at room temp?
Also, should I use salted butter or unsalted butter?
Thanks
I always use unsalted butter because I prefer to have control of how much salt is in a recipe. Enjoy!
I would say they’ll stay their best up to a week in an airtight container. Ours are usually all eaten way before then, haha!
I forgot to mention, the middle of the cookie is always mushy/raw, and if i leave it longer to cook, the outside gets too crisoy. Ive tried different temos and oven positions, sifferent baking sheets, different amount if cookies baking at a time etc. Could you possibly.make a video? Im so dedicated to figuring out whats wrong!
I have a video on my Facebook page. Hope this helps!
I have desperately been trying over the last 2 years to get these cookies to bane consistantly. I absolutely love the taste, but in always disappointed at how they end up baking. Ive tried changing the butter measurements, the sugsr, baking time, position of oven rack, different ovens, measuring the dough at different sizes. I dont know what else.to do, please please help!!
So sorry I’m just now seeing this. It got caught in my spam file. Baking can be tricky and there are quite a few things that can cause issues. Feel free to email me at contact @ dinnerthendessert .com so we can troubleshoot together.
Do you have a favorite frosting recipe that you like to use for these cookies?
I love to dip half of each cookie into melted white chocolate. It such a sweet added touch.
I made these for a school event and everyone kept asking for more. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know.
In the ingredients list it says 3/4 cup, but in the instructions it says 1 cup – which is right??
3/4 cup of butter and 1 cup of sugar. 🙂
Are you supposed to stir in the dry ingredients with a spoon or just use the mixer for that also?
You’ll incorporate the dry ingredients in small batches into the mixer until it’s all combined. I hope you enjoy the cookies.
This recipe looks deeeelish! However I’m currently living in Colombia and am having a difficult time locating molasses. Would you be able to recommend an alternative for me? Thanks so much 🙂
In a pinch, you can substitute with dark corn syrup, honey or maple syrup for the molasses. Enjoy!
These are Spekulatius cookies! But way better as they’re not as dry and crunchy which I’ve never been a fan of. My whole house was filled with the divine smell of them. I just had them with black tea which was a good combination.
I had one issue, though. I had them for more than two hours in the fridge (5°C) which was probably not enough for slow me. By the end the butter got warm and sticky. Next time I will put them in the freezer (-19°C) for a while right before I make the cookies. I also read the tip to use a metal bowl that was either chilled with the dough or put in the freezer for some extra time to make the cookies.
Hello. Do I use salted or unsalted butter?
I prefer unsalted. 🙂
Third year making these for Christmas. Super easy and delicious. Right amount of firmness on the outside and softness on the inside-chewy goodness. I use red and green sugar in addition to the white for some subtle Christmas color. Everyone always loves them.
Can I use 1/4c bread flour to keep them from flattening out? Or is it not needed?
Can’t wait to make them tomorrow?
I’ve not tested it but we’ve made this recipe so many times that I don’t think it needs to be adjusted. Enjoy!
I did put 1/4 c of bread flour. They were great, but next batch I will do the recipe without. Nice crunchy cookie but no chewy in the middle. Can’t wait to make again
Hey- this calls for “white sugar” and “sugar” so I’m slightly confused! When googling, these appear to be the same thing?
Yes, both the same. Not sure why it shows up like that. Sorry for the confusion.
Is it a total of 1 1/4 cup of sugar?
The cookie portion contains 1 cup of sugar and the additional 1/4 cup of sugar is for them to be rolled into before baking.
This cookie is really very good! I followed instructions and they came out soft on the inside with a slight bite on outside. I used a 2 Tbl cookie scoop. Great flavor and lots of compliments.
I’ve made these before and they’re my FAVORITE cookie recipe. But this time I did everything the same way and they didn’t flatten and get all gooey! They’re puffy and not gooey. I’m so sad. Any ideas what happened? I refrigerated them overnight so I thought they were too cold and that’s why they didnt flatten and get gooey but then I microwaved the last dough batch and they still came out puffy. I replaced molasses with syrup but I did that last year and they still came out fine last year…
Actually I wonder if it’s my flour…. I live overseas right now and bought Japanese flour. Last year I used regular flour but this year I bought flour using google translate so maybe it’s not an all purpose flour
Oh, that’s interesting.
I do not buy orange juice, could I use lemon juice instead?
It might change the flavor a hint but it should be fine.
If you need only a tablespoon of orange juice, I recommend buying an orange and squeezing it 🙂
How are you mixing the ingredients? I have a regular handheld mixer? How long do I know to cream the butter and sugar, and how long do I know to combine until it is good enough? I never made homemade cookies only prepackaged ones. Thank you!
You can use a handheld mixer for these cookies. Just mix it until it’s combined. Good luck!
I love these cookies! This is the second year I have made them. After two batches today, I wondering if I could make the dough ahead of time and freeze???? Seriously, these are the best cookies. My whole family and everyone at work and all my friends want these cookies. Last year I must have made 10 batches! Thank you for sharing the delicious recipe. It is printed and will stay on my recipe book for life
I’m so glad you love it so much! You can totally freeze the dough ahead of time. I would suggest rolling them into balls and then flash freezing them to put into a freezer-safe storage bag to store to make it easier to pull out and bake. You’ll need to add additional time, maybe 2-3 minutes more, in the oven if you’re baking them straight from the freezer. Hope this helps!
Is there a link for the white frosting pictured on the cookie?
We actually used white chocolate instead of icing. Hope this helps!
can i refrigerate the dough overnight?
Yes! Store it in an airtight container overnight.
Can the cookie dough be used to make gingerbread men to decorate for Christmas? Thank you!
Unfortunately, this recipe won’t keep a gingerbread man shape very well. It’s best in a round cookie form.
Can you provide the white icing used to dip half of the gingerbread cookies as shown in one of the pictures?
That’s actually just white chocolate melted on there. We liked it better than regular icing. 🙂
Delicious! Every time my grandson visits he wants to make these
I have made these cookies three years in a row for Christmas, and for cookie exchanges.
My family just devour them, when I make them.
I just made another batch today, and am going to dip them in lemon icing.
Thank you for the recipe,
Found this recipe online when I was looking for a great gingerbread men recipe, and while it didn’t quite match what I was looking for I am definitely glad I decided to try and make it anyway. Wow! What a fabulous find! I had a bunch of teenagers over the evening after I had made the dough so I decided to try it out on them first. When I noticed that they kept returning for more and more, and how they were raving about how good they were I decided to try them on coworkers and family. Consensus among everyone is that they are absolutely one of the best gingerbread cookies out there. I have made 4 batches this holiday season and i’m getting ready to make my 5th since my sister has put in a special request for a new years eve party she will be attending. Thank you so much for sharing!
This makes me so happy!! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! Happy holidays!
This recipe was an absolute hit with my family.
I didn’t have ground ginger, so I ended up using fresh ginger which resulted in delicious, subtly spiced biscuits.
They’re so easy to make and have a great texture- you know, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
I decorated them with royal icing instead of white chocolate.
Thank you- I’ll definitly be using this recipe again!
Made this recipe for Christmas. Everyone loved them, including me. This is a wonderful cookie recipe! Guests asked for the recipe themselves. 5 stars, would recommend.
Yay! When they ask for the recipe I take that as a definite win!
So glad you loved it, thank you for coming back to leave a review! And on Christmas day, I so appreciate it. 🙂
The flavor of these cookies are delicious… but rather flat and I refrigerated dough overnight.
It didn’t say whether to grease the pan so I did. Is this why they flattened out too much?
My initial thoughts are maybe there wasn’t enough flour or maybe the baking soda is too old. Could either of those things have happened? Also I don’t grease the pan, but I don’t think that was the culprit here probably.
This will probably sound strange but.. could I replace the ginger with something else? I’m considering some spice like mehlep or something..
I’ve never tested it using anything other than ginger. If you decide to try, I’d love to know what worked for you.
This is a delicious recipe! We made the cookies smaller than the recommended 2 T ball and had to bake them 15 min in our oven. We sprinkled sugar on the top instead of rolling the dough in sugar bc I am on a diet.
My neighbor made them and hers turned out great too. So two thumbs up!
I made these cookies and they tasted delicious! However they did not look like the cookies in your photo. Mine were more rounded, darker, and didn’t have the crinkles on top. Any idea why mine were different?
Did you cook them right out of the fridge with super cold dough? If they were super puffy it could be the temperature of the dough, they didn’t get a chance to spread enough. Or it could be (given the darkness and them cooking before spreading) that maybe your oven runs hot. Do you have an in oven thermometer to check your oven temp?
Do you think I can omit the clove I have all the other ingredients and I want to make without having to go to the store!?
You can either substitute with all spice, if you have it, or make a 50/50 blend of nutmeg and cinnamon to make up for the clove missing (1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon). Enjoy!
What is white sugar compared to sugar in this recipe?
They’re both meaning the same- just sugar. Sorry to confuse you.
Can you use this recipe for gingerbread man cookies?
I’ve found that they don’t keep their gingerbread men shape very well. I would recommend using another recipes specific for using the cookie cutter.
These are definitely the best gingerbread cookies. I won’t make any others. I can’t make them fast enough for my family.
Hi,
I couldn’t get 36 cookies out of this recipe by doing 2 T. per cookie. Darn! I’m going to a cookie exchange and needed more cookies…will they get too cooked if they’re thinner?
I would keep an eye on the first batch and use that as your guideline.
I absolutely love these cookies, and now that I have a sensitivity to gluten I’ve experimented with gluten free flour blends. I finally found the perfect match! Have the flour called for I use almond and the other half I use rice and of course add xanthium gum. They came out splendid! I once made about 8 dz for a church Christmas party and they were devoured. These are the absolute best cookies! I make them frequently for others and now can make gf ones for myself. Thank you for sharing such good with us!
So amazing to hear! Thanks for the GF suggestion.
These cookies were a HUGE hit at my cookie exchange at work. They were gone before everyone else’s cookies and those that missed them were upset because “they heard about them” from others. I did do the white chocolate dip also! The only change I did was I added a little cinnamon to my sugar sprinkle before I backed them. Thanks for a marvelous recipe I will definitely do this one again!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I have to make everything I eat unless it’s labeled organic, due to health problems. I used fresh ground heritage grain (sonora) wheat instead of regular flour. I also substituted unbleached minimally processed sugar (non GMO). Since I did not have OJ, I also substituted some fresh pineapple juice I had made yesterday.
I know that does not sound like an improvement for those not used to using whole grain, but wow. I had been planning to take some to work, but now there is a 0% chance of sharing. Sorry other people, but these are mine, all mine now (plus a family member or two). Maybe this should come with a warning that you need to make a triple batch if there is any chance of them actually making it to any destination other than my own plate. Sorry, cookies usually do not make me that greedy. With having to cut out all chemicals, it is hard to get the variety of food I used to have. (The strict diet slows down my ALS quite a bit) Thanks for this. It was just what I needed, and I was able to make it safe to eat for those on a very strict no artificial chemical diet.
I’m so glad you loved them so much and were able to adjust to fit your dietary needs.
These cookies were a huge hit!! They were the perfect texture and I used the mild flavor molasses so they weren’t too strong. I took them to a family party and they were gone in minutes. I’m making another batch tonight! (The dough is chilling as we speak)
This really is the perfect Christmas cookie.
Thanks, Celeste!
I’m wondering if you put them on a greased or not greased cookie sheet. Seems to be the only direction not on the recipe.
I used slipmats on my baking sheet but no need to grease the pan if using non stick bakeware.
What is light molasses? Is that like light Kato corn syrup?
It’ll also be called “original” molasses.
These are the best cookies I have ever made in my entire life. I ate them for snacks, dessert, even breakfast…yes, I ate 2 of these bad boys for breakfast one morning while my kids sat at the table in horror. I made them into little shapes and the dough was a nightmare to work even after chilling wso you MUST be super fast if doing shapes because the dough essentially melts. I cannot reiterate enough how delicious these are.