Soft Gingerbread Cookies
These soft gingerbread cookies are one of my favorite non-chocolate cookies ever! They are just...perfect. They are the perfect texture (slightly crunchy on the outside, but totally gooey and tender on the inside). They are the perfect flavor (rich and warm, with a little bit of added kick thanks to black pepper). They even look perfect. Like perfect little pillows of sugary deliciousness.
Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft?
This comes down to gingerbread semantics. In some people's minds, the word gingerbread means soft and chewy-you know, like bread. But in my opinion, gingerbread is all-encompassing of the flavor, but most frequently refers to the crispy cookies (like gingerbread men or gingerbread houses). If someone says, "here, have a gingerbread cookie" the first thing that pops in my head is a crunchy gingerbread man-which I'll pass on.
But these tender, soft, chewy gingerbread cookies? These plus a mug of my hot buttered rum recipe, I'm all over.
What makes these soft gingerbread cookies so great?
I think what makes these cookies so spectacular is that they are spectacularly simple. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing cookies with sprinkles and candy and add-ins galore (helloooo, famous cut-out sugar cookie recipe), but all these cookies need as far as accoutrements is a quick roll in granulated sugar before baking to give them a sparkly shine that looks a little bit like a frosty snowfall. That's it. The dough does all the talking.
In case you were wondering, my tasting group was very pleased with these cookies. So much so, it put an end to the gingerbread definition debate. It was decided that whatever the previous definition of gingerbread was, it should be erased from the books and replaced with a description of these cookies, because this is what gingerbread should be.
📖 Recipe
Soft Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ sticks butter softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the molasses, egg, and vanilla and mix until well-combined.
- Add in the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper, and salt, and mix until just combined. Add in the flour and mix until well-combined, scraping the sides as needed.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Then roll the dough into 1-inch balls, and roll each dough ball in granulated sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them 2-inches apart.
- Bake in preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to crack and crinkle, and the edges barely start to brown. Do not overbake or they won't be chewy!
- Let cookies cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
Want more easy Christmas cookie recipes like this one?
- Classic Nanaimo Bars
- Soft Lemon Cookies
- Bourbon Bacon Brown Sugar Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies with Jam
- Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
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