The Best Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies Recipe

I’m sharing my Easy Gingerbread Cookies for Kids recipe that reliably holds its shape for decorating and includes a few surprising tips to get flawless cutouts.

I can’t stop making these The Best Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies because they’re the rare cookie that stays soft but keeps its edges for decorating. I use molasses and a good hit of ground ginger so the flavor is deep without being cloying.

These are my go-to when I want Simple Gingerbread Man Cookies or Gingerbread Cookies To Decorate with the kids, and even when I rush they still look like they were fussed over. There’s something about the spice and texture that makes you want to frost one first and sneak another, you won’t regret it.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: mostly carbs, gives structure and chew, low fiber, little protein.
• Unsalted butter: fat heavy, adds richness and spread, lots of calories, few nutrients.
• Dark brown sugar: sugar for sweetness and chew, adds moisture and slight molasses flavor.
• Molasses: intense sweet, deep flavor, some minerals like iron and calcium, still mostly sugar.
• Egg: adds protein, binds dough, helps lift and browning, adds moisture.
• Spices: ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg add warmth, tiny antioxidants, almost no calories.
• Icing sugar and meringue powder: makes sweet royal icing, lots of sugar, little protein.

Ingredient Quantities

• 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsulphured molasses (dark, not blackstrap if you can help it)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar, sifted (for icing)
• 1 1/2 tbsp meringue powder or 1 large egg white (for royal icing)
• 2 to 3 tbsp water (to thin icing)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or a squeeze of lemon juice (optional, for icing)
• gel food coloring, sanding sugar and/or sprinkles for decorating (optional)

How to Make this

1. Soften the 3 4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter until it gives when poked, then cream it with the 3 4 cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar until light and a little fluffy; beat in 1 large egg, 1 2 cup (120 ml) unsulphured molasses (dark, not blackstrap), and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.

2. In a separate bowl whisk together 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour, 1 1 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 2 tsp ground cloves, 1 2 tsp ground nutmeg if using, and 1 2 tsp fine salt so everything is evenly mixed.

3. Stir the dry mix into the wet ingredients just until combined, do not overmix or the cookies will be tough; scrape the bowl so no flour pockets remain and you still want a slightly soft, tacky dough.

4. Form the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic or in a container and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour to firm up, or overnight for best flavor and easier rolling; pressing the disk flat helps it chill faster.

5. When ready preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper; lightly flour your work surface or roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to about 1 4 inch thickness so they bake evenly.

6. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes, dipping the cutter in warm water and drying between cuts helps get clean edges, transfer cutouts to the prepared sheets about 1 inch apart using a thin spatula, re-roll scraps only once to avoid tough cookies.

7. Bake the cutouts for about 8 to 10 minutes until edges are set and centers look slightly soft; smaller cookies can be around 7 to 8 minutes and very large ones up to 10 to 12 minutes; cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. For royal icing sift 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar into a bowl, add 1 1 2 tbsp meringue powder or one large egg white (use pasteurized egg white if concerned about raw egg), then add 2 to 3 tbsp water starting with 2 tbsp and add more a teaspoon at a time until you reach piping or flooding consistency; stir in 1 2 tsp vanilla extract or a squeeze of lemon juice if you like.

9. Divide icing into bowls, color with gel food coloring (use gels so you do not thin the icing), transfer to piping bags or zip bags with a tiny corner cut, decorate and top with sanding sugar or sprinkles while icing is still wet so they stick.

10. Let decorated cookies dry at room temp for 1 to 2 hours or overnight for thick icing; store in an airtight container with a slice of bread to keep them soft up to 5 days, or freeze uniced cookies between layers of parchment for longer storage.

Equipment Needed

1. Two large mixing bowls (one for wet, one for dry)
2. Electric hand mixer or stand mixer, for creaming butter and sugar
3. Measuring cups and measuring spoons
4. Whisk and rubber spatula to blend and scrape the bowl
5. Rolling pin (or roll dough between sheets of parchment)
6. Baking sheets lined with parchment paper
7. Cookie cutters and a thin offset spatula or bench scraper to lift cutouts
8. Fine mesh sieve for sifting powdered sugar for the icing
9. Piping bags or zip-top bags (small corner snip), small scissors and a wire cooling rack

FAQ

The Best Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• All purpose flour: try whole wheat pastry flour 1:1 for a nuttier, slightly denser cookie, just chill the dough a bit longer; or use a gluten free 1:1 baking blend (with xanthan gum) 1:1, same steps but cookies can be a tad crumbly.
• Unsalted butter, softened: swap with solid coconut oil 1:1 for a dairy free option, keep it slightly cool so the dough doesn’t get greasy, note the coconut flavor will come through; or use stick margarine 1:1, tho texture may be a touch softer.
• Dark brown sugar: no dark? use packed light brown sugar plus 1 tbsp molasses per cup to mimic the deeper flavor; or plain granulated sugar plus 1 tbsp molasses per cup, you’ll get sweetness but less chew and depth.
• Large egg (in dough): make a flax “egg” for vegan baking — 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, wait 5 minutes; or use 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce instead, but cookies may be softer and spread more.

Pro Tips

– Chill the dough good and flat before you roll it, even overnight if you can, it firms up and keeps the cutters from smooshing the shapes. Roll between two sheets of parchment or very lightly flour the board so you dont over-flour the dough and end up with tough cookies. If the dough warms while you work, shove it back in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes.

– Keep a cup of hot water nearby and dip/dry your cookie cutter between cuts for cleaner edges, and use a thin metal spatula to lift shapes onto the sheet. Re-roll scraps only once, more re-rolls = tougher cookies, and watch the cookies while baking, you want the edges just set and the center still a touch soft.

– For royal icing start with less water and add a teaspoon at a time till you get the right flow, then split into bowls and use gel color so you dont thin the icing. If you want glossy, slightly flexible icing add a tiny splash of light corn syrup. Use meringue powder or pasteurized egg white if raw egg worries you.

– Make ahead and storage hacks: dough freezes great in a disk or cut shapes frozen between parchment, and baked cookies freeze too. To keep decorated cookies soft, store with a slice of bread in an airtight box, and when taking out of the freezer let them come to room temp sealed so condensation dont make the icing go weird.