Soft Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Name: Gingerbread Cookie recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cup flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 6 tablespoons butter or margarine (softened); 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon orange juice; 1/4 cup molasses; 1/2 cup granulated sugar (for rolling dough balls in)

Why You Will Love This

Delicious Flavor. They are soft and spiced perfectly for the holidays.

Easy to make. They are so very simple to make. The kids can help and you don’t need any special skills to make these.

Soft and Chewy. They are made with molasses which makes them soft and chewy.

No Cookie Cutters needed. There is no need to use cookie cutters in this recipe. Just roll them into balls and place on the baking sheet.

Ingredients

Ground Ginger. Gives the cookie the delicious ginger flavor.

Baking Soda. Try one of the Best Baking Soda Substitutes.

Ground Cinnamon and Ground Cloves. These spices enhance the ginger flavor.

Egg. Room temperature before using.

Molasses. You can use any type you prefer.

Orange Juice. Enhance the flavor in the cookies.

Skip to the bottom of the post to find the complete ingredient list and instructions.

How to Make Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Step 1. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl- flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

Step 2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. – Mix in the egg, orange juice and molasses. Stir until well combined.

Step 3. Now it is time to slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture. The dough will be thick. You can chill the dough and divide the dough if you prefer, but it’s not necessary.

Step 4. Roll the dough into balls. Then roll in the sugar.

Step 5. Place on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Step 6. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. As they bake, the cookies will spread and flatten a bit. Then allow to cool a few minutes on a cookie sheet before moving to a wire rack.

Pro Tips

Ingredients – Mix dry and wet ingredients separately before combining to make the dough.

Cookie Scoop – To form the cookies in a ball, we find that using a cookie scoop is the easiest way. You can also use a spoon and roll into ball.

Mixer – You will need a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer. Either of these will work but I prefer my stand mixer. It makes everything even easier and definitely gets plenty of use.

Baking – Make sure to watch the cookies so they don’t overbake. If they bake to long then they could be hard.

Cooling Ingredients – Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This will help to cookies settle and prevent them from breaking.

Room Temperature Ingredients – When preparing for baking these cookies, make sure the butter is softened and the eggs are at room temperature. When mixing the dough will be smooth and creamy.

Brown Sugar – Some recipes call for brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar if you prefer.

Decorating Cookies – You can decorate the cookies with royal icing to add fun holiday designs. If using a cookie cutters to make gingerbread men, use a rolling pin to flatten dough.

FAQ’s

How to Freeze Gingerbread Cookies?

I like to flash freeze the cookies on a single layer and then put them in an airtight container for the freezer. This helps the cookies not to stick together and preserves their appearance as well.

This is also a good idea if you only want to thaw out a few at a time.

What is the Secret to Making Soft Chewy Cookies?

We love to make soft cookies and they are really not difficult to bake. The secret is having a cookie with a moisture level that is high. The molasses in this recipe have a lot of moisture and help to make a very soft cookie.

We recommend not skipping the orange juice and molasses ingredients. If you are in a pinch, water can be substituted for the orange juice but it is definitely better with the orange juice. It really enhances the flavor of the cookie.

What is Molasses?

Molasses looks like syrup but is much thicker and darker. It is made from juice extracted from sugar cane. I used Grandma’s Molasses but you can use what you prefer.

Just remember the liquid is what makes these cookies so soft.

Should Gingerbread Cookies be Soft or Hard?

Gingerbread Cookies should be soft. When making this recipe, don’t skip on any of the ingredients. The combination of the ingredients makes them soft to the touch. When you bite into the gingerbread cookie it will be soft and crumbly.

We love soft cookies and that is why this gingerbread cookie recipe is one of our favorites.

How Long with Gingerbread Cookies Recipe Soft Last?

Gingerbread cookies will stay soft for 3-4 days as long as you store them at room temperature in an airtight container. Ours don’t last long though because everyone loves them so much.

If you keep them on a cookie tray, make sure they are wrapped completely to keep from drying out.

How to Store?

Gingerbread cookies are easy to store. Store in an air tight container at room temperature. They will keep soft for about 3 to 4 days.