Soft Gingerbread Cookies
These soft gingerbread cookies are warmly spiced, tender, and easy to make, perfect for holiday gatherings and cookie exchanges.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Ground ginger
- 1 tbsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground cloves
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, softened Must be softened, not melted.
- 1 cup Brown sugar Packed.
- 1/2 cup Molasses
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For Decorating
- as needed Powdered sugar icing, royal icing, sprinkles, colored sugar Or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
Instructions
Preparation
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, then mix until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix just until a soft dough forms, avoiding overmixing.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate it until firm enough to roll.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll the dough to an even thickness on a floured surface, cut out shapes with cookie cutters, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are set and the centers look slightly soft. Let cool on the baking sheet briefly before transferring to a wire rack.
Decorating
- Once cooled, decorate with icing or sprinkles as desired. Let icing set before stacking or storing.
Notes
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze the cookies or unbaked dough.