comment icon 1437 more comments The hallmark flavors of gingerbread are molasses and ginger, so once we’ve got those going on in all the right proportions, who says that gingerbread cookies can’t be a textural wonder of soft and chewy and crackly and tender-buttery-crisp all in one glorious bite? 2021 is the year to reinvent “gingerbread” into a cookie that we really, truly love. (Or, maybe gingerbread muffins? Love those too.) No gingerbread men splat flat on a pan. Go all out this year. Get your Christmas music playing, your cozy candles lit, get your tried and true baking sheets, your favorite mixing bowls, and your holiday spirit at the ready. Let’s do this.
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Deliciously SOFT Gingerbread Cookies
It’s hard to describe just how good these are, these spicy-sweet little gingerbread pillows. There’s certainly a time and a place for the darker, more crisp peppery gingerbread, but that is not this. These cookies are suuuuper soft, light and coppery, almost melty in their ginger spice, with the slightest crunch from the edges and little sugar sprinkles. And if your family has always gathered round a floured surface, armed with rolling pins and cookie cutters, fear not! Sure you may not be stamping out little shapes or battling with royal icing, making sure the gingerbread people don’t look like sorta scary clowns with drippy icing smiles, all while making sure your toddler isn’t eating too much dough…but will you miss that part? (Okay fine, maybe…these are the beautiful chaotic memories we cherish). But there are memories to be made around these as well. Gently rolling the soft gingerdough balls in the snowy sugar. Getting the perfect half dip of creamy maple glaze once they’re out of the oven. Going a little extra and piping tiny little holly leaves and berries on them or maybe just a few festive sprinkles. Gathering round the oven to see who can smell the warm sweet ginger bake first. Also, can we talk about that maple glaze? Subtle, sweet, and smooth taking these just one notch above magnificent. Just…come on.
Key Ingredients For Gingerbread Cookies
For these truly remarkable gingerbread cookies, you’ll need the staples — flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and salt. There’s a little extra baking soda in there to ensure a good spread, so they go wider and flatter in the oven. This is key to their positively clutch texture. Beyond that, let’s round up this delicious list, shall we?
molasses ground ginger extra sugar for rolling maple syrup confectioner’s sugar lil’ holly sprinkles if you’re extra (so cute, so fun, so merry)
How To Make Gingerbread Cookies From Scratch
Once your ingredients are assembled and your heart is ready and your kitchen windows are fogged from the heat of your oven, it’s cookie-baking time, and is there any other better time on this planet? There is already so much joy in cookies and these are big-time joy-bringers. There’s just something so special about gingerbread, with all its cozy and merry and bright. So fill your jars, your holiday platters, your care packages and gift boxes, your kiddos’ eager hands. Leave them on your plates for Santa and sneak them in the night like magic. We hope your holidays are filled with all the best things this year, like family and friends and gingerbread. Notes on flour and the added weight specification: how you measure your flour will have a big impact on the thickness of the cookies, so if you have a scale and you’re able to measure to get it exactly right, that would be my recommendation! But if you’re measuring flour without a scale, my method for the 2 1/4 cups is to just scoop the measuring cups into the flour bag or canister and level them off. More on this in the notes of the recipe.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
Old School Homemade Oreos (a retro recipe made modern) Favorite Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (one word…HEAVENLY) Deep Dish Cookie Bowls for Two (perfect for date night)
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3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1/3 cup molasses 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (300 grams) 2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1–2 teaspoons ground ginger granulated sugar for rolling
Maple Glaze
1 tablespoon melted butter 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (180 grams) 2 tablespoons milk (and a very tiny bit more if you need more) pinch of salt, to taste
For this recipe I use unsulphured molasses. For most of my testing I used the Grandma’s brand which can be found in the baking section of many grocery stores. Blackstrap molasses is less sweet and would not be recommended here. The glaze should set to become fully dry to the touch with just an hour or two of sitting on the counter. For the best / most beautiful and travel-proof glaze results, you might want to wait to glaze until within a day of serving. The cookies can be baked ahead and stored (without glaze) in the freezer until you’re ready for glaze! I prefer the flavor of the maple glaze which is why that’s how the recipe is written, but if you need a glaze that is more sturdy, melting 1/2 cup white chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon coconut oil will also work and it will hold its shape better for travel.
