Gingerbread Cookies are always the first bake of the holiday season for me. I love keeping the cookie jar full of these for a little seasonal treat with a cup of coffee. Whether you keep them plain, sprinkle them with sugar or go all out decorating them with royal icing, this is the best basic gingerbread cookie recipe to keep at hand.
For more holiday cookie recipes, check out my Raspberry Linzer Cookies, Cranberry Linzer Cookies, or my Spiced Reindeer Sandwich Cookies.
Gingerbread Cookies
Nothing says Christmas like these deliciously spicy Gingerbread Cookies. Deep flavoured with a hit of spice. The perfect texture with a crispy exterior but semi soft interior. Perfect as is or sprinkle with icing sugar or decorate with royal icing.
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Ingredients
- ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar / Dark Muscovado Sugar
- ⅓ Cup Molasses Sugar Can be substituted with brown sugar but won't have the same flavour and will be lighter in colour
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter Softened to room temperature
- ½ Cup Golden Syrup (118ml) Or molasses if not using molasses sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3½ Cups All-purpose/Cake Flour
- 2 – 3 tsp Ground Ginger Depends on how gingery you like them
- 1½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Allspice
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Salt
Instructions
- Add the sugars, softened butter and syrup to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and cream together until smooth and well combined
- Add the eggs and mix through
- Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined and a soft dough forms
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for around 20 minutes while you preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven to 170°C and prepare two large baking trays/sheets, lining them with baking paper
- As the dough is quite soft and not easy to transfer, the chilling will help. Alternatively I divide my dough ball into three or four pieces (covering the rest in the plastic wrap in the fridge), then roll and cut it on the baking paper
- Place the dough onto a floured surface (or directly on floured baking paper if the dough is very soft)
- Roll to around 7mm thick and cut into desired shapes with your cookie cutters
- Place the cut cookies on the baking paper lined baking sheets, giving around 2cm of space between each cookie
- Bake for around 10 – 12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. As the cookies are dark in colour you won't really see the edges go golden, as long as there are no 'wet' spots, they are baked. They will be quite soft when you remove them but will crisp up as they cool
- Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for around 5 minutes, then place them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely
- Repeat with the remaining dough
- Cool completely before decorating
Notes
This recipe makes around 36 various size cookies. The quantity will depend on the size of your cookies
Tried this recipe?Post your pics and tag us at @my_homemade_kitchen_za or #myhomemadekitchen!
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