Soft Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies make the most delicious chewy gingerbread man cookies that stay soft for days.
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Soft gingerbread cookie recipe
This super soft gingerbread cookie recipe is made from pantry basics. PLUS a generous amount of molasses. The molasses is what gives them a great chewy texture and helps the gingerbread cut out cookies stay soft for several days at room temperature.
Of course gingerbread cut out cookies can be cut in any shape you like and not just gingerbread men. Make gingerbread cut out reindeer, stars, trees, circles, anything! The super dark gingerbread makes an excellent backdrop to bright white royal icing. But gingerbread icing can be buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting or any frosting you like.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Brown sugar – dark brown or light brown. If using light brown sugar simply increase the amount of molasses slightly.
- Butter – salted or unsalted. If using salted butter simply reduce the amount of added salt slightly.
- Molasses – an unsulphured dark or ‘full flavored’ molasses like Brer Rabbit molasses gives these cookies the best flavor and texture. But a light molasses can be substituted instead.
- Milk – whole milk or cream or milk of choice.
- Spices – cinnamon, ginger and cloves
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Icing – confectioners sugar and egg white or egg white replacement for royal icing. Or decorate gingerbread cut out cookies however you like with any combination of decorations and frosting.
Step by step instructions
- Mix butter and brown sugar until combined.
- Combine spices, baking soda, salt and flour. Then add to butter and mix until sandy.
- Stir in molasses and milk until the dough comes together.
- Sandwich gingerbread dough between two pieces of parchment and roll out.
- Transfer parchment covered gingerbread sheets to baking sheets and refrigerate or freeze until firm.
- Preheat oven.
- Cut out chilled dough and place on parchment lined baking sheets, rerolling scraps to cut more cookies.
- Bake gingerbread cut out cookies in preheated oven until lightly puffed in the center and starting to darken on edges.
- Cool slightly on baking sheets then transfer to cooling racks.
- Once cool decorate as desired.
- Enjoy!
Yield
This recipe yields about two dozen standard 4-5″ gingerbread men cookies.
How to make ahead
Gingerbread cookie dough sheets can be frozen for up to a month. Or refrigerated for up to 4 days. Simply bring cookie dough to regular chilled temp before cutting and proceeding with the recipe.
Shelf Life
This gingerbread cookie recipe makes soft gingerbread cookies that will maintain their soft texture for up to 4 days when stored at room temperature even when uncovered.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dark molasses
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Either in a stand mixer in a large bowl by hand whip softened butter and brown sugar.¾ cup dark brown sugar, ¾ cup unsalted butter
- Combine flour, cinnamon ginger, cloves, baking soda and salt then stir into the whipped butter and brown sugar mixture.3 cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, ¾ teaspoon cloves, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Stir in molasses and milk and continue stirring until mixture comes together into a soft dough.¾ cup dark molasses, 2 tablespoons milk
- Divide dough in half and place each half on a large piece of parchment paper. Top with another piece and roll each into a large rectangle about the size of a half sheet pan.
- Transfer to two sheet pans and refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once cookie dough is firm working one baking sheet at a time, carefully peel the top piece of parchment off of dough. Cut out as desired and transfer cookies to another parchment lined baking sheet, placing them about ½ inch apart.
- Bake gingerbread cookies in preheated oven until cookies are light brown and slightly puffy, about 10-12 minutes. Then remove and allow to cool slightly on baking sheets. Continue rolling and cutting remaining cookies.
- Transfer to cooling racks to continue cooling. Then decorate as desired and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
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