Description
Homemade Gingerbread Cookies bring festive holiday cheer with their warm spices and nostalgic charm. Perfectly spiced, crisp yet tender cookies promise to delight families and friends during winter celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 cups (384 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup (150 milliliters) molasses
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
Spices:
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Leavening and Seasoning:
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whip brown sugar and butter into a light, airy mixture until creamy and smooth. Introduce molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, blending thoroughly to create a rich, fragrant base.
- Prepare a separate mixing vessel and sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt, ensuring even distribution of spices.
- Integrate dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring gently until a cohesive dough forms without overmixing.
- Partition the dough into two compact disks, encase each in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for one hour to solidify and enhance flavor development.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cookie removal.
- On a generously floured work surface, roll out the chilled dough to a quarter-inch thickness. Deploy festive cookie cutters to create playful shapes, transferring each delicate cut-out to the prepared baking sheets.
- Transfer cookies to the preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, watching for set edges and a slightly firm texture. Allow cookies to cool completely before applying decorative touches.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly to prevent spreading and maintain sharp cookie shapes during baking.
- Use fresh spices for the most vibrant and robust gingerbread flavor, as ground spices lose potency over time.
- Dust rolling surface sparingly with flour to keep cookie texture tender and prevent dough from becoming tough.
- For gluten-free version, swap wheat flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend containing xanthan gum for better texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Fat: 4.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg