The Best Gingerbread Cookies

If you are planning to bake up a batch of gingerbread cookies over the holidays, I have the perfect recipe for you.

It’s one that I have used for years and years now, based originally off of a gingerbread recipe from Elise Bauer (whom many of you know and love from SimplyRecipes.com), and it is perfection.  You can bake it up to be as soft or as crispy as you’d like.  It’s perfect for cutting out all of your favorite gingerbread people.  It’s made with the tastiest warming spices, including lots of ginger and cinnamon.  And bonus — a batch of gingerbread baking in the oven is guaranteed to make your home smell amazing.

Over the years, I have tinkered around with various spices and add-ins for the recipe, and lately have been enjoying adding some orange peel to the dough, which plays beautifully with the warming spices.  But feel free to play around and spice the dough however you like.  And of course, the more frostings and sprinkles that you’d like to add, the merrier!

The Best Gingerbread Cookies
Servings: 24 Cookies
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies

•     3 cups (425g) all-purpose flour
•     1/4 tsp ground cloves
•     2 tsp ground cinnamon
•     1 Tbsp ground ginger
•     1/2 tsp salt
•     3/4 tsp baking powder
•     1/2 tsp baking soda
•     1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
•     1 large egg yolk
•     10 Tbsp (142g) unsalted butter, softened about halfway
•     3/4 cup (165g) packed dark brown sugar
•     1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
•     1 - 2 Tbsp milk
•     1/2 cup (172g) molasses (not blackstrap)

Icing

•     3 (420g) cups powdered sugar
•     4 - 6 Tbsp water
•     1 1/2 Tbsp (15g) meringue powder
•     1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk dry ingredients: In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together sugar and butter until well combined, occasionally stopping and scraping down bowl.
4. Mix in wet ingredients: Mix egg yolk and vanilla. Mix in molasses and 1 Tbsp milk.
5. Mix dry mixture with wet mixture: With mixer set on low speed slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until combined, while adding additional milk as needed just to bring dough together.
6. Roll dough: Divide dough into two equal portions then roll each portion out evenly to 1/4-inch thickness (into more of a oblong or rectangular shape so it will fit on a cookie sheet) between two sheets of parchment paper.
7. Chill briefly: chill on a cookie sheet in freezer 10 - 20 minutes, or until firm then cut into shapes using cookie cutters.
8. Transfer to baking sheets and bake: Remove from paper using a thin metal spatula or pastry scraper if needed then transfer to parchment paper lined cookie sheet, spacing cookies about 1-inch apart, and bake in preheated oven 8 minutes or until slightly set*.
9. Let cookies cool: Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining dough.
10. Make the icing: Add powdered sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Fit mixer with paddle attachment, add in 4 Tbsp water and the vanilla them mix on low speed until combined.
11. Thin as needed and whip: Add more water to thin as needed and increase speed and whip mixture until it is glossy and thickens up. Tint with food coloring if desired. Transfer to piping bags fitted with tiny round tips.
12. Decorate as desired: decorate cookies with icing and add sprinkles if desired. Let icing set at room temperature and store in an airtight container.

 

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