Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Our Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies are bursting with sweet and spiced gingerbread goodness, coupled with an amazing soft and chewy texture that’s sure to satisfy!. The best part? They’re quick to make and stay soft for days, making them an ideal choice for all your holiday baking endeavors!

Whether you’re sharing them with family and friends or enjoying them on your own with a cozy cup of hot cocoa, these soft and chewy gingerbread cookies are guaranteed to bring joy and warmth to your holiday season.

The Best Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

The holiday season means we spend lots of our time in the kitchen baking up all kinds of goodies! From peanut butter blossoms to chocolate crinkle cookies, we cover all the staples. 

And these soft and chewy gingerbread cookies always top our list! The best gingerbread cookies you’ll ever taste, they come together with minimal prep time and a quick cook time, require just a handful of ingredients, and always have the most scrumptious spiced taste! 

Plus, you can easily shape them into gingerbread men or all your favorite holiday shapes. Then, top them with icing for a fun treat the whole family can help decorate. 

Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter – If salted butter is all you have, simply reduce the amount of extra salt included. 
• Sugar – A combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar helps sweeten the dough while keeping the cookies soft and chewy. 
• Large Egg – We have not tested this gingerbread cookies recipe with egg substitutes and can’t guarantee your results if you do. 
• Molasses – We recommend using dark molasses for a bold flavor and the ultimate chewy texture. 
• All-Purpose Flour – If needed, substitute a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour to keep these cookies gluten-free. 
• Baking Soda – Make sure it’s fresh! 
• Spices – A combination of salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg creates the bold, spicy flavor we look for in gingerbread recipes. 
• Cinnamon Sugar – Whisk ground cinnamon and white sugar together to coat the outside of the cookies. 

Step-By-Step Guide for the Best Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

1. Combine the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses, and mix until well combined. 
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and spices until evenly combined. 
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Working slowly, add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth dough forms. 
4. Chill. Cover the bowl of dough tightly with plastic wrap, and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill. 
5. Prepare. Preheat the oven and line baking sheets with parchment paper. 
6. Portion. Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to portion the dough into equal-sized balls, and roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving space in between each piece. 
7. Bake. Transfer the cookies to the oven, and bake just until the edges are set. 

Note: Be careful not to overbake your cookies! In fact, we recommend underbaking them slightly. They should still be soft and gooey in the center when you remove them from the oven. Otherwise, they’ll become hard once they cool. 

8. Cool. Allow your gingerbread cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Can I Use This Recipe to Make Gingerbread Men? 

Absolutely! To make soft and chewy gingerbread men, follow the instructions, and roll the dough into a ball. 

Then, use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out until it’s roughly ¼ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to shape the dough. 

Roll up any scraps into a ball, and repeat the process until all the dough has been used. Bake as normal, keeping a close eye on your oven so your gingerbread men don’t burn! 

Decorating Ideas

We leave these soft gingerbread cookies plain, letting the cinnamon sugar be the only decoration, but you can add icing if you want! 

Use any store-bought or homemade icing, frosting, or glaze you like best, and add it to the cookies once they’ve cooled. You can even use candy pieces and sprinkles to decorate further, creating faces and fun designs. 

How to Make Ahead and Store

Make Ahead: Prepare the dough as the recipe states, and keep it covered tightly in the fridge for two to three days. When you’re ready to bake, portion out the dough, and follow the directions in the recipe card below. 

Store: Once cooled, leftover cookies can be transferred to an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to one week. 

Can I Freeze These Soft Gingerbread Cookies? 

Yes, baked chewy gingerbread cookies can be frozen for up to three months. We recommend placing a sheet of parchment paper between each layer to prevent them from clumping together. 

Or, flash freeze unbaked dough balls on baking sheets, and transfer them to a freezer-safe container. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

To bake, thaw your cookie dough in the fridge overnight, and follow the directions as normal. 

More Holiday Cookie Recipes

We call these holiday cookies because they’re amazing to add to a spread at a holiday celebration but we’ll tell you a secret — we make some of these all throughout the year. Once you try them, you might, too!

• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
• Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Pecan Snowball Cookies

Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Author: Food Dolls

Servings: 12 servings

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Chill Time: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr

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Celebrate the flavors of the holiday season, and make this soft and chewy gingerbread cookies recipe with a handful of ingredients!

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/3 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1/3 cup molasses
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ Cinnamon sugar for rolling 1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions 

• In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  1 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar
• Add the egg and molasses to the creamed mixture, mixing until well combined.
  1/3 cup molasses, 1 large egg
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg.
  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Shape the chilled dough into small balls, about 2 inches in diameter. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar.
  Cinnamon sugar for rolling
• Place the sugar-coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each cookie for spreading.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cooled, store the gingerbread cookies in an airtight container.

Equipment

2 Mixing Bowls

2 Baking Sheets

1 Cookie Scoop

1 Wire Rack

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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 365mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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