Gingerbread cut-out cookies are crisp, perfectly spiced, sweetened with molasses and brown sugar and are perfect for the holiday season. A versatile recipe that can accommodate any shape or size of cookie cutters. They’re a cookie that everyone loves!
These popular gingerbread cookies are on my Christmas baking list every year. Each year I typically include them in my Christmas cookie box which I fill with assorted cookies. These gingerbread cookies are especially cute made in a mini size and scattered all over my cookie box.
The gingerbread dough mixes up easily with a mixer into a soft dough. Once the dough is wrapped and refrigerated it sets and becomes pliable. It’s easy to roll out on a floured work surface and fun to cut out into desired shapes and sizes. These cookies are a blank slate; they can be cut out in any shape or size and decorated any way you wish. You could leave them plain, sprinkle them with coarse sugar or colourful sprinkles or decorate the cookies after they’re baked with icing or frosting as desired.
Why this recipe is so popular
- Fun and easy for kids to help make them
- A blank slate for creative cutting out and decorating
- Loaded with warm gingerbread seasoning
- Perfect in taste and texture
- Hard to resist and disappear fast
- Can be made ahead and store well
Ingredients needed to make gingerbread cut-out cookies
- all purpose flour
- cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves
- salt, baking soda
- butter
- egg
- sugar, molasses, vanilla
How to make gingerbread cut-out cookies
- In the bowl of a mixer blend butter, sugar, egg, molasses and vanilla until smooth then blend in the dry ingredients, flour, spices, salt and baking soda – the dough will be loose
- Divide dough into two portions, plop each portion on a piece of large plastic wrap, wrap tightly, press each into a disk shape and chill in refrigerator until set
- On a floured work surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll out dough and cut out desired shapes – some flour dust may show on the cookie dough but this will disappear when baked
- Gently arrange cut out shapes on parchment lined baking sheets 1” apart, they will not spread out much when baked
Cookie decorating tips
If sprinkling cookies with coarse sugar or sprinkles, sprinkle them on the cookies before they go in the oven.
If decorating cookies with icing or frosting, bake the cookies plain and decorate them after they’re baked and completely cooled. The cookies are even just as cute when left plain and undecorated!
Bake cookies and cool on a rack
Bake the cookies for 7 – 10 minutes, depending on size, just until they are set and very lightly browned. Let cookies set for 2 minutes then transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know how long to bake the cookies for?
The goal is for the cookies to just set and become very lightly browned. Once they come out of the oven they should be left on the baking sheet for 2 minutes where they will continue to cook and set before they are removed to a rack to cool completely. Follow these baking times:
- For small cookies bake for 7 minutes
- For medium cookies bake for 8 to 9 minutes
- For large cookies bake for 10 minutes
How do I store gingerbread cut-out cookies?
The cookies should be stored immediately after being cooled in an airtight container where they will keep well for up to 10 days. To store the cookies for a longer time, freeze them in an airtight container or zipper bag for up to 3 months. Be sure to label and date them. To thaw frozen cookies arrange them on a rack and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours.
Tips for cookie success
- Ensure the butter and egg are at room temperature
- Work with one dough portion at a time while keeping the other one chilled
- Dust the work area and rolling pin generously with flour when rolling
- Cookies should not be rolled too thin - use recommended thickness of ⅛” to ¼” range
- Cookies rolled out to thin will bake up harder and crunchier
- Be careful not to over bake the cookies – bake just until set and lightly browned
- Cookies baked for too long will be harder and crunchier so err on the lesser time of baking
- If you plan to decorate with icing or frosting make sure cookies are completely cooled first
Variation of yield based on cookie sizes
Since this recipe is adaptable to any size cookie cutters, follow this guide for the approximate yield you can expect from this recipe:
- 100 cookies with a small 1 ½” – 2” cutter
- 75 cookies with a medium 2 ½” – 3” cutter
- 50 cookies with a large 3 ½” – 4” cutter
- 20 cookies with an extra large 5” – 6” cutter
Craving more holiday cookies? Try these favourites:
- Jam-Filled Cookies
- Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
- Almond Joy Chocolate Cookies
- Vanilla Cookies Dipped in White Chocolate and Pistachios
Recipe
Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
Crispy, perfectly spiced holiday cookies sweetened with molasses and brown sugar. Use any shape or size of cookie cutters. Decorating and baking times in recipe notes.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour plus ½ cup more for rolling
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
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Into the bowl of a stand mixer add butter and sugar. Blend with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add egg, molasses and vanilla and blend while scraping down the sides from time to time, until smooth.
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In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, salt and baking soda.
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Reduce speed to low. Gradually add dry ingredients mixture to the wet and mix, while scraping down the sides, until combined and a soft dough forms.
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Divide dough into two clumps; dough will be very soft. Wrap each clump tightly in plastic wrap and press it into a disk. Refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours or overnight to allow the dough to firm up.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare large baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
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Remove chilled dough from refrigerator for 10 minutes. Generously flour a work surface and a rolling pin. Roll one disk at a time into a 9” to 10” circle which will give about a ⅛” – ¼” thickness, sprinkling more flour on the bottom and top of dough as needed. The cookies should not be too thin.
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Cut desired shapes and sizes with cookie cutters. Gently transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheets placing them at least 1” apart; they will not spread out a lot when baked. See recipe notes 2 & 3 below for decorating. Some flour dust may still show on the cookie dough but this will disappear when baked. Re-roll the scraps and make more cookies.
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Bake for 7 – 10 minutes - time will depend on size - see recipe note 5 below. Bake just until set and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cookies set on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
- Yield will vary depending on size of cookie cutters being used – 100 cookies with a small 1 ½” – 2” cutter, 75 cookies with a medium 2 ½” – 3” cutter, 50 cookies with a large 3 ½” – 4” cutter, 20 cookies with an extra large 5” – 6” cutter.
- If sprinkling cookies with coarse sugar or sprinkles, sprinkle them on the cookies before they go in the oven
- If decorating cookies with icing or frosting, bake the cookies plain and decorate them after they’re baked and completely cooled
- Be careful not to over bake the cookies – bake just until set and lightly browned, cookies baked for too long will be harder and crunchier so err on the lesser time of baking
- Baking times will vary depending on size of cookie cutter being used - for small cookies bake for 7 minutes, for medium cookies bake for 8 to 9 minutes, for large cookies bake for 10 minutes
Ashke says
I'm sorry to say that your recipe did not work out for me at all. My dough was incredibly soft that even with the 1/2 cup of additional flour for rolling and using flour to dip my stamp in it still did not like to stamp cleanly.
My cookies also spread out quite a bit during baking which distorted the gingerbrrad man shape of my stamp. They do not look anything like the lovely biscuits that you show in your photos.
Maybe I did something wrong? Maybe the recipe requires more flour to be a stiffer dough?
Rita Jakobschuk says
Hello Ashke,
I’m sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your gingerbread cookies. We have been making these cookies for years in our family and they always turn out as shown in the photos. I’m listing a number of troubleshooting points, tips and questions for you to review to see if we can spot something that caused your batch to not stamp properly and to spread out when baked. Please feel free to get back to me to discuss any of these points. My direct email is thekitchenfairyblog@gmail.com
1. This is a soft dough when blended. For this reason it needs to be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and pressed into a flat disk (as opposed to a ball) and refrigerated long enough for it to be completely cold and set and before it can be rolled out successfully. When I start rolling the cold dough I have to put a lot of muscle into it to get it to roll out. It starts to soften a bit as it gets worked.
2. Scraps for re-rolling should be collected and re-chilled before rolling again as that dough will warm up from being worked in the first round.
3. When my dough starts to warm up as I work with it, I do find the cookie cutters or stampers start sticking. In that case I stop and chill the dough again then continue with the process.
4. Adding too much flour to the dough when mixing can cause the baked cookies to be hard. Up to a ¼ cup more would probably be acceptable for this recipe. It sometimes depends on the brand of flour being used or the way it is measured that can also make a difference.
5. The additional flour of ½ cup more for rolling is a recommendation – some people may use less and some may use a little more. The purpose of it is to keep the dough smooth and firm but still a little pliable. In the end that additional flour ends up being incorporated in the dough.
6. Did you use butter and not Crisco or margarine or vegan butter for the dough?
7. Did you roll your dough too thin or too thick? There is an optimum thickness required for cookie stampers and it takes some practice to adjust to the type you use. Typically 1/8” to ¼” is standard thickness.
8. What type / brand of cookie stampers did you use? There are some cheap brands on-line or in dollar stores that never work properly (although they look similar to good quality ones). You want to use good quality ones that sell on Amazon for $18 - $20 ++ for a set of 4. Any less of a price and they are probably the cheap ones.
9. Once the cookies are rolled and cut out and arranged on the baking sheets – they should still feel cold. If they sit out at room temperature too long while you are working on batches of cookies, they become soft and that could affect how they bake and cause them to spread. When I feel my cut cookies are getting to warm (especially because rolling and cutting cookies can be a long process) I pop the baking sheet filled with cut cookies in the fridge for 5 - 10 minutes before baking them. This often happens when I make trays ahead of time and have them waiting for their turn in the oven.
10. Was your oven fully preheated to 350 degrees? Depending on the oven, this can take about 20 minutes. Have you ever checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer for accuracy of temperature? If the oven is not sufficiently preheated or running too low, the cookies could spread because the butter in the cookies has too much time too slowly soften before the cookies set.
11. Are you using good quality baking sheets? Using cheaper thin ones can cause any types of cookies to not turn out successfully.
12. Did you line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon liners? This helps prevent spreading because the cookie is not making direct contact with the metal or aluminium baking sheet.
13. Did you ensure your baking sheets were cool to cold before placing the cookies on them? Placing cookies on warm or hot cookie sheets may cause spreading because the warmth will start softening the butter in the cookies before they have a chance set in the oven.
14. Did you bake the cookies one sheet at a time on the middle rack? This is standard for any cookie recipe.