Soft Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
These easy soft and chewy gingerbread cookies are the perfect holiday cutout cookie recipe!
Servings: 36 cookies
Cost: $8
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (237ml) molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 5 Cups (620g) All purpose flour Sifted
For the frosting:
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 4 cups (452g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons water
Instructions
Make the cookies:
- Beat butter, sugar, and molasses in a stand mixer (or very large bowl with a hand mixer) until smooth. Mix in the egg, then add the vinegar, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until combined (mixture may look a bit curdled, that's normal.)
- Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough forms. Divide dough into two or three sections.
- Lay out a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper on your work surface. Add half the cookie dough and add a second sheet of paper on the top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼-inch thick, in between the pieces of parchment. Periodically, gently lift the parchment off the layer to make sure it's not sticking. Repeat with second half of dough.
- Chill the rolled out dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Cut shapes from chilled dough, placing on the prepared pans. Chill another 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on cookie size. Re-roll any scraps of dough and re-chill and repeat.
- Cool cookies completely before frosting.
Make the frosting:
- While cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Add meringue powder, powdered sugar, vanilla, and water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until peaks form and it's lost it's glossy sheen, about 7-10 minutes. Add a bit more water as needed for piping consistency.
- At this point you can color the frosting if you want, using food coloring. Frost cookies and top with sprinkles. (I used a small piping tip in a disposable pastry bag.) Let set for at least an hour before stacking.
Video
Notes
- Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar may be substituted for the white vinegar.
- It's important to chill the cookies before baking so they hold their shape. If the dough is too soft as you're cutting shapes, pop back in the fridge or freezer to harden.
- You can bake the cookies up to 2 days ahead of frosting. Stack like cookies with like in an airtight container. You can freeze them for a few months in the container as well; place paper towels between cookie layers.
- Gingerbread cookies frosted with royal icing can be stacked and stored in an airtight container for up to a week (sometimes more; hardened royal icing keeps them fresh). You can also freeze them once the icing is dry.
- You can freeze the dough as well; just separate the cookie dough into halves or thirds and wrap well with plastic wrap. Place dough into a ziploc bag and freeze for up to a few months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
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