Soft Gingerbread Cookies
These soft gingerbread cookies are a festive favorite, featuring warm spices and a chewy center, perfect for holiday celebrations and sharing.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups All-purpose flour Measure carefully to avoid drying out the cookies.
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 tablespoon Ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ground cloves or allspice
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup Brown sugar Packed.
- 1/2 cup Molasses
- 1 One egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
For Rolling and Decorating
- 1/4 cup Granulated sugar For rolling the cookies.
- Royal icing, powdered sugar glaze, melted chocolate, sprinkles, or colored sugar For decorating.
Instructions
Preparation
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves or allspice, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
Mixing
- Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract until evenly combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms.
Chilling
- Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm enough to handle.
Shaping and Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough to an even thickness and cut with cookie cutters or scoop dough, roll into balls, and flatten.
- Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar if desired.
- Arrange cookies on the baking sheets, spaced apart, and bake until the edges are set but the centers look slightly soft.
- Let the cookies rest briefly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
Decoration
- Once cooled, decorate the cookies with icing, glaze, sprinkles, or colored sugar.
Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Freeze cookies for longer storage with parchment between layers. Use a small piece of bread in the container to help maintain moisture.