Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 281 gplain flour
• 7.5 mlground cinnamon
• 7.5 mlground ginger
• 1.25 mlground cloves
• 2.5 mlbicarbonate of soda
• 1.25 mlsalt
• 70 gunsalted butter, softened
• 50 glight or dark brown sugar
• 80 mlunsulphured molasses
• 1egg
• 2.5 mlvanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix dry ingredients

   Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, bicarbonate of soda and salt together.

2. 2

   Cream butter and sugar

   In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until fluffy and lighter in colour, scraping down the bowl as needed.

3. 3

   Add molasses and egg

   Mix the molasses thoroughly into the butter and sugar, then add the egg and mix well.

4. 4

   Combine the mixtures

   Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on a low speed just until no visible flour remains. The dough will be quite soft and a little sticky.

5. 5

   Roll and chill

   Roll the dough between two sheets of baking parchment to an even 6 mm thickness. Refrigerate it for at least 3 hours before cutting.

6. 6

   Heat the oven

   Preheat the oven to 177°C and line baking trays with baking parchment.

7. 7

   Cut the cookies

   Peel the parchment from both sides of the dough and lightly flour both sides. Gently roll over it a couple of times to smooth the surface and remove air pockets, then cut shapes with your chosen cutters.

8. 8

   Bake the cookies

   Transfer the cut dough to the lined trays. For cookies cut with a 7.5 cm cutter, bake for 7–9 minutes, then cool completely on the tray before removing. For soft cookies, bake for 7–8 minutes, until the edges feel set but the centres are still slightly soft; for crisp cookies, bake for 9–10 minutes, until the centres and edges are set. Adjust the time by a couple of minutes for larger or smaller cookies.

9. 9

   Serve the cookies

   Enjoy the cookies with a glass of milk or package them as holiday gifts.

What are gingerbread cookies?

Gingerbread cookies are spiced biscuits flavoured with ginger and often sweetened with molasses. The recipe is American in style, with a soft, cut-out dough suited to shaping for the holidays.

Molasses adds a deep sweetness, while cinnamon, ginger and cloves give the dough its warming spice. Rolling it before chilling makes a soft dough easier to cut into neat shapes.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 2149 calories, 36g protein, 358g carbs, 64g fat.

The flour and brown sugar supply most of the carbohydrates, while butter contributes much of the fat and the egg adds some protein. Serve a cookie with fruit or yoghurt for a more balanced snack; the supplied nutrition figures are for the stated serving.

The spice and sweetener

Ground spices: cinnamon, ginger and cloves bring different layers of warmth; measure them evenly so no one spice overwhelms the mix.

Molasses: unsulphured molasses gives the cookies their characteristic rich flavour and dark colour. Mix it thoroughly into the creamed butter and sugar before adding the egg.

Working with soft dough

Soft texture: this dough is meant to feel stickier than a typical cut-out cookie dough, so avoid adding extra flour while mixing.

Chilling: roll the dough between parchment first, then refrigerate it for at least 3 hours. The chilled sheet is firmer and easier to cut and transfer.

Cutting clean shapes

Floured surface: peel away the parchment and flour both sides of the dough to reduce sticking. Use only enough flour to help with handling.

Even thickness: aim for 6 mm across the sheet so the cookies bake at a similar rate. A gentle roll over the floured dough helps smooth it without flattening it unevenly.

Choosing the bake

Soft centres: for the 7.5 cm cutter size, start checking at 7 minutes; the edges should feel set while the centres remain slightly soft.

Crisp finish: bake for 9–10 minutes, until the centres as well as the edges feel set. Smaller or larger shapes may need a couple of minutes less or more.

Serving and gifting

With a drink: serve the cookies with a glass of milk, as suggested in the recipe, or alongside tea or coffee.

For gifts: let them cool completely before packing so they do not trap warmth in the container. Their cut-out shapes make them easy to arrange in a holiday tin.

Recipe notes & tips

• Use softened butter so it creams smoothly with the sugar.
• Scrape down the bowl while creaming to mix the butter and sugar evenly.
• Mix in the flour only until it disappears to avoid overworking the dough.
• Keep the dough between parchment sheets while rolling for easier handling.
• Let the cookies cool completely on the tray before lifting them off.
• Check smaller cookies early, as their baking time may be shorter.

Variations

• Adjust the spice: Add a little more ginger for a sharper flavour while keeping the other spices in proportion.
• Choose the sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar, as the recipe allows, for a slightly different depth of flavour.
• Change the shapes: Cut the chilled dough into seasonal shapes with different cookie cutters.
• Go crisp: Bake the cookies for 9–10 minutes, until the centres and edges feel set.
• Keep them soft: Bake for 7–8 minutes, taking them out when the edges are set and the centres remain slightly soft.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding flour to sticky dough: The dough is naturally soft; chill it rather than mixing in extra flour.
• Skipping the chill: The soft dough can be difficult to cut; refrigerate the rolled sheet for at least 3 hours.
• Rolling unevenly: Thick and thin areas bake differently; aim for an even 6 mm thickness.
• Moving cookies too soon: They can be fragile while warm; cool them completely on the tray before removing.
• Using one bake time for every size: Smaller and larger shapes need adjustments; vary the time by a couple of minutes.
• Baking for a crisp finish by touch alone: Check the centre as well as the edges; both should feel set for crisp cookies.

How to store

Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature; the recipe does not specify a storage duration. If they soften, warm them briefly in the oven and let them cool before serving.

Frequently asked questions