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Festive overhead view of decorated gingerbread men and snowflake cookies alongside hot chocolate, inspiring a delicious gingerbread cookie recipe.

The Best Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

These classic soft and chewy gingerbread cookies are perfectly spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and sweetened with dark brown sugar and molasses. They require chilling but are simple to bake and can be decorated as desired.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 175
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 0.67 cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 0.33 cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses we like the Wholesome brand
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2.25 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 0.5 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 0.25 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 tablespoon almond milk or any milk

Equipment

  • stand mixer
  • electric mixer
  • medium bowl
  • plastic wrap
  • oven
  • large baking sheets
  • parchment paper
  • cookie cutters
  • wire rack

Method
 

Gingerbread Cookies
  1. Cream butter and brown sugar; then mix in molasses, egg yolk, and vanilla using a stand or electric mixer.
  2. Whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, and cloves in a separate bowl, then gradually add to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. Finally, mix in the almond milk.
  3. Form the dough into a ball, divide it in half, flatten each half into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 2 hours.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
  5. Roll out the chilled dough to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, cut into shapes with cookie cutters, and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Reroll dough scraps as needed.
  6. Bake one sheet at a time for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the edges are set and centers are still soft, which ensures chewy cookies. Baking time may vary based on oven and cookie size.
  7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Notes

For the softest cookies, ensure you bake them until the edges are just set and the centers are still soft; they will firm up as they cool. The exact baking time can vary based on your oven and cookie cutter size.