Baking
Gingerbread Cookies (Classic Gingerbread Men)
Classic gingerbread men with ginger, cinnamon and molasses: soft in the middle, firm enough to decorate and easy to cut into any shape.
By the Forkful editorial team · Published
Quick answer
Mix flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; beat butter and brown sugar with molasses, an egg and vanilla; combine and chill the dough for at least 3 hours. Roll it ¼ inch thick, cut out shapes and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are firm.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 4 h 5 min
- Makes
- 30 cookies
Total time includes 3 h 30 min of rising, chilling or cooling.
Gingerbread cookies are one of the classic Christmas baking searches on Google, and interest peaks every December. Rolled, cut into people, stars or trees and decorated with white icing, they are as much a holiday activity as a recipe.
This dough gets its deep colour and flavour from molasses and brown sugar, and its warmth from ginger, cinnamon and cloves. It is soft and sticky when mixed, so a few hours in the fridge are essential: after that it rolls out easily and keeps clean edges.
Ingredients
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- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves or allspice
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅔ cup unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- To decorate (optional)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk, as needed
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, until creamy. Beat in the molasses, egg and vanilla; the mixture may look slightly curdled, which is fine.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. The dough will be soft and sticky.
- Divide the dough in half, flatten each piece into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or up to 3 days).
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment. Roll one disc on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, cut out shapes and place them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
- Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are firm and the centres still look slightly soft. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then on a rack.
- To decorate, stir the powdered sugar with milk, a little at a time, into a thick icing that holds its shape. Pipe it onto the completely cooled cookies and let it set for 1–2 hours.
Tips for the best result
- 1Use regular unsulphured molasses: blackstrap molasses is very bitter and will overpower the cookies.
- 2Bake for 8 minutes for soft cookies or up to 10 for firmer ones.
- 3Roll the dough to ⅛ inch (3 mm) for crisp cookies and bake them for 7–8 minutes.
- 4Flour the surface and rolling pin lightly: too much flour makes the cookies dry and pale.
Storage
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Baked cookies and wrapped dough discs freeze for up to 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my gingerbread dough so sticky?
Molasses makes the dough soft. It firms up after at least 3 hours in the fridge; avoid adding lots of extra flour, which makes the cookies dry.
Should gingerbread cookies be soft or crunchy?
Both are traditional. Roll the dough thicker and bake it briefly for soft cookies, or roll it thinner and bake a little longer for crunchy ones.
Can I use honey instead of molasses?
You can, but the cookies will be paler, less deeply flavoured and may spread a little more. Dark treacle or Spanish cane honey (miel de caña) are closer substitutes.
