DESSERT RECIPES

Classic Gingerbread Cookies

Updated

Classic gingerbread cookies with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. The sturdy, easy-to-roll dough is ideal for cut-out cookies, tree ornaments and stained glass gingerbread cookies.

Prep
40 min
Cook
36 min
Total
1 hr 30 min
Yield
3 to 4 dozen cookies
Illustration of Classic Gingerbread Cookies
AI-generated illustration, not a photo of this recipe.

These gingerbread cookies start on the stovetop: sugar, molasses and warm spices are heated together, then butter, egg and flour are stirred in to make a smooth dough that is ready to roll right away. It needs no chilling, cuts cleanly and holds its shape in the oven, so the cookies come out crisp at the edges with just enough chew.

A holiday classic from the KitchenSimplicity archive, this dough is a good all-rounder for Christmas baking. Cut it into gingerbread people for decorating, poke a hole near the top to hang the cookies on the tree, or fill cut-out centers with crushed hard candy for stained glass cookies that glow in the lights.

Tips

  • Stained glass cookies: cut a small shape out of the center of each cookie, fill the hole with crushed hard candy without overfilling, and bake as usual. Let them cool fully on the parchment so the candy sets.
  • Forgot the hanging holes? Poke them with a straw as soon as the cookies leave the oven, while they are still soft.
  • Store plain cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
  • The dough is sturdy enough for gingerbread house walls; roll it a little thicker and bake a few minutes longer.

Classic Gingerbread Cookies

Prep
40 min
Cook
36 min
Total
1 hr 30 min
Yield
3 to 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (170 g) unsulphured molasses
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 3 1/2 cups (440 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • Optional: crushed hard candies for stained glass cookies

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 325°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, molasses, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring now and then.
  3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up, so use a pan with some room to spare.
  4. Add the butter and stir until it has melted and the mixture is smooth. Let it cool for a minute or two, then quickly beat in the egg until just combined.
  5. Stir in as much of the flour as you can in the pan, then turn everything out onto a clean counter and knead until the dough is smooth and all the flour is worked in.
  6. Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half while you roll the other on a lightly floured surface to just under 1/4 inch thick.
  7. Cut out shapes and place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. If the cookies will hang on the tree, poke a hole near the top of each with a drinking straw now.
  8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown. Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Gather and re-roll the scraps, then repeat with the second half of the dough until it is all used.

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