Cookies

November 11, 2021 / By: Ellie Haley

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Name: Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup (213 grams) brown sugar (packed); 1 large egg; 1 cup (340 grams) molasses; 2 tablespoons vinegar; 5 cups (600 grams) all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda; 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon allspice; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 1/2 cup (170 grams) powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Soft Gingerbread Cookies are one of my favorite parts of the holidays! These soft and chewy cookies have tons of flavor from the spices used and are decorated with a...

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Soft Gingerbread Cookies are one of my favorite parts of the holidays! These soft and chewy cookies have tons of flavor from the spices used and are decorated with a sweet and simple icing.

A close up of a soft gingerbread cookie decorated with icing.

Every year before Christmas all of the women in my family get together and make dozens of Soft Gingerbread Cookies. My Aunt Gaga makes huge batches of the dough and the rest of roll the dough out, cut cute little shapes, and then decorate until our fingers hurt. It is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

A bunch of gingerbread cookie cut into all different shapes

Ingredients for Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Icing:

Ingredients for Gingerbread Cookies:

Vegetable Oil. This will add moisture to the cookies and make them extra soft.
Brown Sugar. Brown sugar adds a softer texture to the finished product.
Egg. It will be easier to incorporate the egg if it is at room temperature.
Molasses. This will help to keep the cookies soft while also adding flavor and color to the cookie dough.
Vinegar. This will help activate the baking soda and give the cookies more rise.
All-purpose Flour. Measuring the flour correctly is very important. I suggest weighing your flour out (I use this scale). If you want to use a measuring cup, make sure you spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife. Don’t use the cup to scoop directly from the flour.
Baking Soda. This will help the cookies to rise.
Salt. Salt is a must in baked goods. It will help to balance out the sweetness and improve the overall flavor.
Ground Ginger.
Ground Cinnamon.
Ground Allspice.
Ground Cloves.

Ingredients for Icing:

Powdered Sugar. This will be the base of our icing and make it sweet.
Vanilla Extract. Vanilla will add a bit of flavor to our icing.
Heavy Cream. This will bring the icing together and make it pipable.

All of the ingredients needed for this recipe

How to make Soft Gingerbread Cookies:

Gingerbread Cookies

STEP 1: In a large bowl combine the oil and brown sugar. Mix until fully combined.

STEP 2: Beat in the egg, molasses, and vinegar until fully combined.

STEP 3: In another bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Whisk to remove any lumps.

STEP 4: Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. The dough will be thick. Chill the dough for 3 hours.

STEP 5: Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. On a clean and floured surface, roll the dough out and cut out your desired shapes. You can reroll and continue to cut out any leftover dough.

STEP 6: Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before icing.

Icing

STEP 1: In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly add the milk until you reach the desired consistency. I like my icing to be a bit thicker so it is easier to pipe.

STEP 2: Pipe or spread the icing on the gingerbread cookies.

Looking down on decorated soft gingerbread cookies

More Cookie Recipes

Christmas Thumbprint Cookies– A brown sugar shortbread cookie with a dollop of raspberry jam.
Caramel Apple Cookies– These cookies are made with oats and freeze dried apples and topped with salted caramel.
Cranberry Linzer Cookies– Almond flavored cookies with a homemade cranberry jam.
Brown Sugar Cookies– Soft brown sugar cookies topped with maple cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts.

A closeup of a gingerbread cookie decorated like a tree

More Cookie Recipes From Kitchen 335

S’mores Stuffed Cookies– giant chocolate chip cookies that are wrapped around an entire s’more.
Peanut Butter Blossoms– Chewy peanut butter cookies topped with a melty Hershey’s kiss.
Soft Molasses Cookies– These soft and chewy cookies have the perfect amount of spice.
Snicker’s Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies– homemade peanut butter cookies stuffed with a mini snickers bars.

A bunch of gingerbread cookies on a board

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