Introduction

These best gingerbread cookies are a perfect holiday treat, featuring a rich blend of warm spices and molasses. They have a chewy texture and come with an easy-to-make icing for festive decorating. Whether for gifting or sharing, they’re sure to delight both kids and adults.

A stack of four gingerbread cookies shaped like gingerbread people sits on a white marbled surface, each cookie brown with a slightly rough texture and decorated with white icing in the form of smiling faces, buttons, and zigzag lines on the arms and legs. The top cookie has a bite taken out of its right leg, revealing its moist and crumbly inside. Around the stack, there are a few more gingerbread cookies with similar white icing decorations scattered on the surface. The warm lighting highlights the cookies' textured surface and icing details. photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 tbsp vegetable shortening
3/4 cup (150g) dark brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup (250g) unsulphured molasses (Grandma’s recommended)
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp ground clove
3 1/2 cups (450g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 1/2 cups (165g) powdered sugar
6-8 tsp water
1 tsp corn syrup
Gel food coloring (optional)

Instructions

Step 1: In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium-high speed to cream the butter, shortening, and dark brown sugar for about 1 minute until light and creamy.
Step 2: Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the vanilla extract and egg until smooth. Scrape again and mix in molasses until the mixture looks rich and glossy.
Step 3: Incorporate ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, and ground clove until evenly combined.
Step 4: Add the flour and mix thoroughly until a very thick, sticky dough forms. Use a strong silicone spatula to fold the dough well ensuring even combination.
Step 5: Transfer dough onto a floured plastic wrap sheet, pat into a 1-inch thick rectangle, wrap tightly, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. One to two hours gives the best chewy texture; overnight chilling makes it easier to handle but slightly less chewy.
Step 6: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut dough in half, refrigerate one half. Flour and roll the other half on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness, then cut into shapes using cookie cutters.
Step 7: Place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, fitting 6-8 per sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until cookies appear puffed with cracked surface but centers look slightly underdone.
Step 8: Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack where they will flatten slightly as they cool.
Step 9: Bake remaining dough halves following the same process, rerolling scraps as needed and refrigerating cutouts until baking.
Step 10: Once cookies are cooled, whisk powdered sugar, starting with 6 tsp water, and corn syrup until thick glue-like consistency. Add water 1 tsp at a time if too thick. Optionally mix in gel food coloring.
Step 11: Pipe icing designs onto cooled gingerbread cookies and allow icing to set before serving.

Tips & Variations

Chilling the dough overnight makes it easier to roll out and cut precise shapes but slightly reduces chewiness.
Use gel food coloring in the icing for vibrant decorations without thinning it out.
For a softer cookie, reduce baking time slightly and check for underdone centers.
If you prefer a spicier gingerbread, increase ginger and cinnamon by 1/2 teaspoon each.

Storage

Store baked gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. To keep decorated cookies fresh, allow icing to fully set before stacking and separate layers with parchment paper. For longer storage, freeze cookies in a sealed container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

How to Serve

A stack of four round ginger cookies with a golden-brown color sits on a white marbled surface. On top of the stack, a gingerbread man cookie decorated with white icing in the shape of a smiling face, buttons, and zigzag lines on the arms and legs is held by a woman's hand. The gingerbread man is missing a bite from its right leg, showing a darker, soft inside. In the blurry background, more gingerbread cookies with white icing decoration lie flat on the white marbled surface. photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I use regular butter instead of shortening?

Yes, you can substitute all shortening with butter for a richer flavor, but note that shortening helps create a lighter texture.

Why do the cookies need to be slightly underdone in the center?

Leaving the centers slightly underbaked ensures a chewy texture once the cookies cool and set.