Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Soft Gingerbread cookies are Christmas traditon, one I started 4 years back with my little guy. Avyan was the over the mood excited to cut out the cookie dough and then even frost the cookies along with his Dad. These Christmas cookies is a must every year. 

I updated this old post from 2017 with the most recent photos of our soft gingerbread cookie. But if you scroll down you can see the photos from the last two years too. 

Hopefully I can keep updating this post with new photos every year! 

Soft Gingerbread Cookies 

The is the time of the year when you can’t help but indulge, go sugar high and drink a few extra glasses of wine.

This soft gingerbread cookies is a very basic gingerbread cookie with molasses. I keep it very simple every year. 

This year I added little cocoa powder too only because my son was insisting on it a little too much. But you can totally skip that. 

Do you need Molasses for Soft Gingerbread Cookies? 

Molasses gives a rich flavor and a gorgeous color to the cookies. But I will not call it a must and I have baked the cookies without molasses. 

Ground ginger and cinnamon with brown sugar is definitely the key ingredients for the ginger flavor and gorgeous brown shade

The cookies turned out great and it was not all that difficult to shape either. Avyan picked every possible shape he could think of. He had so much fun that he didn’t wanted to stop.

As a result, we made more cookies than we can consume! Then came the icing part. 

How long can you store Gingerbread Cookie Dough ? 

Wrap in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 3 days for 3 weeks in the freezer! 

Just thaw the cookies before you roll. 

Steps to prepare the Soft Gingerbread cookie dough 

Mix the softened butter (not melted) to the sugar. Then add all the dry ingredients (flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt) 

I use an egg too along with molasses but you can avoid. 

You can also add cocoa powder if you like, just a little bit 

Once you prepare the dough, wrap and leave it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, before you roll and cut. 

Before you bake, place the cut ou cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

Keep the baked cookie in the hot cookie sheet for 5 minutes, it will feel a little soft to touch when out of the oven. Then transfer to a cookie wire rack to cool down completely before adding frosting. 

How to retain the shape of Soft Gingerbread cookies ?

Cookies retain shape is the butter is not melted. As we roll the dough and cut it out, the butter sometimes tends to melt in the process. 

Place the cut out cookies in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before you place it to the hot oven. 

Sugar frosting for the cookies 

I make a super simple frosting by mixing powdered sugar with milk. Because I mostly line the cookies instead of filling, I keep the consistency thick so it doesn't run down the cookie as you pipe the cookies. 

Back in 2017, when I tried these cookies for the first time with Avyan, the frosting was a disaster. So I bought store bought readymade frosting. 

I had no clue how fun this entire activity could be. Arvind too, couldn’t stay away and we went with the flow. I knew it will be our Christmas tradition! 

Christmas is not for things to be perfect, it’s for family to have fun and make memories. We definitely made one this year! And, I hope you all did too.

Merry and Joyful Christmas friend!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Kankana Saxena

Soft Gingerbread cookies are Christmas traditon, one I started 3 years back with my little guy. Avyan was the over the mood excited to cut out the cookie dough and then even frost the cookies along with his Dad. These Christmas cookies is a must every year. 

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Ingredients

 

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ginger powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• 10 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

 

• In a mixing bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients (flour, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda).
• Mix the butter with sugar until it smooth. Pour the molasses, milk and egg yolk. Give it a whisk once again.
• Add the dry ingredients little by little and combine everything to form dough.
• Wrap the dough with a clear wrap and let it refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F
• Place the cookie dough in-between two-parchment paper sheets and roll it out to ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutter to cut into different shapes.
• Layer the shapes on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. After 8 minutes, take out the cookie sheet and let it rest for 2 minutes. Then, place the hot cookies on a wire rack to cool down completely.

Notes

Notes:

The cookie dough can be prepared much in advance and refrigerated.

The icing recipe is a mix of powdered sugar with milk and food color. I didn’t give any exact measurements as I kept making the icing randomly as required. The measurement is 1 cup powdered sugar to 2 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Servings