Easy Soft Gingerbread Cookies
These Soft Gingerbread Cookies cookies are the most amazingly soft, sweet, and lightly spiced cookies. It's the perfect gingerbread man cookie for shaping and decorating, and the dough is make-ahead friendly so you can spread out the holiday cookie baking!
Ingredients
- 1 cupbutter (2 sticks, at room temperature (salted or unsalted) (226 grams))
- 1 cupgranulated white sugar (220 grams)
- 1egg
- 1 cuplight or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap or cooking molasses (325 grams))
- 2 tablespoonswhite vinegar (22 grams)
- 5 cupsall-purpose flour (625 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoonsbaking soda (9 grams)
- ½ teaspoonsalt (3 grams)
- 2 teaspoonsground ginger (3 grams)
- 1 teaspoonground cinnamon (2 grams)
- 1 teaspoonground cloves (3 grams)
Directions
- 1
Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about three minutes, using a hand mixer or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer. Scrape down the sides as few times as needed.
- 2
Add the egg, molasses, and vinegar. Beat to combine well. The mixture will look a bit curdled.
- 3
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves to the bowl and mix to combine well. The dough should come together when you press it in your hands and shouldn't be crumbly. If anything it'll still be a little tacky to the touch. That's ok.
- 4
Divide the dough into two even pieces, wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 90 minutes. Don't skip this step, it helps the cookies to keep their shape.
- 5
When the dough is done chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Working in sections, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface; cut into desired shapes.
- 6
Place shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Gather and reroll "scraps" of dough as needed, using all of the dough.
- 7
Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack.
- 8
Repeat with remaining dough.
- 9
Leave plain or decorate (here are 6 Simple Ways to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies if you are looking for some inspo).