‘Tis the season! These classic Gingerbread Cookies are perfectly soft, sweetened, and spiced! With simple ingredients and a quick bake time – these cookies are what family traditions and holiday memories are made of!

stack of chewy gingerbread cookies on a Christmas-themed table cloth.

If you’re planning to bake up a batch of gingerbread cookies for the holidays – then this is the perfect recipe for you! The ingredients are super simple and won’t require you to hunt them down, and the bake time is less than 15 minutes! So bake away people, bake away!

I love gingerbread! The combination of spices with a hint of sweetness just makes me feel so cozy inside, not to mention makes my kitchen smell amazing! Gingerbread is also super versatile; have it for dessert, with your morning coffee, take it to a party, or just keep a stash of it all to yourself to eat whenever you like! Whichever way you choose, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients

Butter – Unsalted and softened.
Sugar – White granulated sugar will do the trick!
Egg – 1 large egg is all you need!
Molasses – I usually opt for the original, un-sulphured molasses.
Flour – All purpose white flour.
Ginger – Dry ginger instead of fresh for texture purposes.
Cinnamon – Always a key element in gingerbread!
Baking soda – The leavening agent.
Cloves – Ground, please!
Salt – Can’t bake without it!

How To Make Gingerbread Cookies

Preheat the oven: To 350 F degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a mixer bowl: Add the butter and sugar, and beat until fluffy. Next, add the egg and molasses, and continue beating until well combined.
In a separate bowl: Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and salt. Then, add this combination to the previous mixer bowl and beat until just combined.
Roll dough: Using a small scoop or your clean hands, roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets, placing them 2 inches apart.
Bake: Bake the cookies for 10 – 12 minutes. Once finished, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

A Baking Tip

Whatever you do, don’t over bake these little babies! If you do they will dry right out – and well, that is not at all what the goal is here! If anything, under-bake them just a tiny bit as they’ll continue to bake for a couple minutes once you’ve removed them from the oven! Also big cookies take longer to cook than small ones so keep that in mind as when following the instructions!

Can These Cookies Be Gluten-Free?

Yes you can! When it comes to gluten free baking it’s important to remember to use a thickening/stabilizing agent, such as xanthan gum – we do this because it replaces the elasticity that gluten provides in our baked goods. You can use gluten-free flour, or a combination of gluten-free flour and almond flour as a 1:1 ratio and then add 1 teaspoon of your thickening agent for every 1 cup of gluten free flour.

Yes you can! The dough and the cookies will last in the fridge for about 2 – 3 days in an airtight container. You have the option of preparing the cookies and placing in storage until you’re ready to serve them OR prepare the dough and store until you’re ready to bake the day of!

Freezing

Definitely! Just bake them, cool them and store in a freezer bag or airtight sealed container. They will last in the freezer for up to 6 weeks and you can just pull them out as needed!