Classic Soft Gingerbread cut-outs to decorate
Updated December 11, 2024
By Rebecca St. Clair
Jump to RecipeGingerbread cut-out cookies are a time honoured tradition during the holidays for my family. Everyone loves cutting out and decorating all the little festive cookies and gingerbread people, especially all the kids!
This recipe makes beautifully soft gingerbread cut-out cookies that are also sturdy enough to decorate. The dough puffs up only slightly when baked, so any small details will remain intact.
We use this classic gingerbread cookie recipe every year to make delicious, soft, and sturdy cookies that we decorate and turn into decorating kits for all the little kids in our extended family.
What is the flavour of gingerbread cut-out cookies?
The spices and molasses in this gingerbread cookie recipe give them a classic strong, warm, spicy taste and aroma we often associate with Christmas. The spices in gingerbread are:
Ginger (obviously) – A good amount of ginger is used, (it is in the name after all!). Ginger has a warm spicy flavour, with a slightly sweet citrus taste and aroma.
Cinnamon– A classic Christmas spice. Most people will be quite familiar with the taste and aroma of cinnamon, since it is a commonly used spice. It has a sweet, citrus, floral, and woodsy flavour and aroma.
Cloves– This is the strongest flavour and aroma of all and, in my opinion, gives gingerbread a very distinct flavour. The scent of clove always reminds me of Christmas. A little goes a long way when it comes to cloves! Clove has a sweet, bitter, and almost hot flavour. They are very pungent, but in small quantities are an amazing spice. If you bite a whole clove they will give you a topical numbing feeling. Clove oil is even used in dental product to calm and relieve tooth pain!
Molasses– Which type of molasses to use for gingerbread? There are two main types of molasses in the stores where I live. Fancy molasses and blackstrap molasses. For these sweet cookies use Fancy molasses (sometime called light molasses). Molasses is a byproduct of making sugar from sugarcane. Fancy molasses is from the second boiling, where as blackstrap molasses is from the third. Fancy molasses is much lighter tasting. Where as blackstrap is quite bitter.
How to freeze and store gingerbread cut-out cookies
I often make batches of cookies, when I have time, during the holiday season. I will leave out some to snack on and the rest I will freeze for later. That way I am ready to go when I need to make Christmas cookie tins, attend a holiday party, or have a friend stop by!
Can gingerbread cut-out cookie dough be frozen?
Yes! gingerbread cutout cookie dough freeze extremely well. To freeze your dough,
- Split the dough into two equal portions
- Shape the dough into flattened round disks
- Wrap completely in plastic wrap
- Place in a labeled freezer bag, or air-tight container
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When you want to make the gingerbread cookies, let the dough defrost enough to become pliable. Then roll out with a rolling pin, cut out, and bake!
Can gingerbread cut-out cookies be frozen?
Yes! This is what I typically do to get a head start on my holiday baking. To freeze baked gingerbread cutout cookies,
- Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature
- Freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 1-2 hours.
- Place into a freezer bag, or airtight container.
- Store in the freezer up to 3 months.
Different types of gingerbread
Gingerbread comes in many different forms, soft gingerbread cookies, ginger snaps, gingerbread men, gingerbread houses, ginger bread cake, and the list goes on.
This gingerbread cookie recipe is a soft, but sturdy. This type of cookie is meant to be rolled out and used for gingerbread cutout cookies.
How to make Gingerbread Cookie Cutouts
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened 225 g
1 cup brown sugar 200 g
¼ cup molasses 60 ml
¼ cup water 60 ml
2¾ cups all-purpose flour 412 g
1 teaspoon baking powder 5 g
½ teaspoons baking soda 2 g
2 teaspoons ginger 6 g
1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves 5 g
2 teaspoons cinnamon 6 g
½ teaspoon salt 2 g
Method
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
- Beat in the molasses and water. Scrape down the bowl a few times, to make sure everything is being mixed in evenly.
3. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt.
4. Stir in the all-purpose flour, until just incorporated.
5. Split the dough in half and form each into a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap.
6. Chill 1-2 hours, in the refrigerator.
7. Roll the dough out, onto a lightly floured surface, to ¼-inch thickness. Make sure to turn the dough every few rolls, to ensure it does not stick to the counter. Apply more flour as needed.
8. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes.
9. Collect the unused dough back together. Re roll and cut into shapes until all the dough is used up.
10. Place the cut-outs onto a lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. (This will limit the amount the cookies spread in the oven)
11. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
12. Spread the cut-outs onto a lined baking sheet, with about 1-inch of space between each cookie.
13. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set in the middle.
14. Remove from the oven. Cool completely before decorating.
Soft and Tender Gingerbread Cutout Cookies
Full of all the smells and tastes of the holiday season. These classic gingerbread cutout cookies are soft, tender, and chewy but still sturdy enough to decorate.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened 225 g
- 1 cup brown sugar 200 g
- ¼ cup molasses 60 ml
- ¼ cup water 60 ml
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour 412 g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 5 g
- ½ teaspoons baking soda 2 g
- 2 teaspoons ginger 6 g
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves 5 g
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon 6 g
- ½ teaspoon salt 2 g
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
- Beat in the molasses and water. Scrape down the bowl a few times, to make sure everything is being mixed in evenly.
- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt.
- Stir in the all-purpose flour, until just incorporated.
- Split the dough in half and form each into a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap.
- Chill 1-2 hours, in the refrigerator.
- Roll the dough out, onto a lightly floured surface, to ¼-inch thickness. Make sure to turn the dough every few rolls, to ensure it does not stick to the counter. Apply more flour as needed.
- Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes.
- Collect the unused dough back together. Re roll and cut into shapes until all the dough is used up.
- Place the cut-outs onto a lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. (This will limit the amount the cookies spread in the oven)
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
- Spread the cut-outs onto a lined baking sheet, with about 1-inch of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set in the middle.
- Remove from the oven. Cool completely before decorating.
Notes
My favourite icing to decorate these cookies is either with royal icing or buttercream.
Nutrition Information
Yield
30Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 139Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 16mgSodium 101mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 1gSugar 9gProtein 2g
Decorating Gingerbread Cutouts
Now that the cookies are made, you may want to give them some fun and festive decorations. My favourite ways to decorate these cookies is to use royal icing.
Royal icing is a nice smooth icing that dries hard on top of your cookie.
I also use tinted buttercream, for a fun decorating activity for children to get involved in!
Buttercream
These Holiday cookie tins are a fun gift for any little cookie decorators on your holiday list!
Make a batch of buttercream split it into the amount of colours needed and tint with food colouring. Package the icing in piping bags for easy decorating.
Make sure to add a package of sprinkles or decorations as well!
Simple Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, cream butter.
- Add icing sugar. Mix on the lowest setting, until all of the sugar is incorporated. Then cream on medium-high until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and salt. Blend into the icing.
- Thin with cream, you may need more or less, until you have the desired consistency.
Royal icing
This is perfect to decorate cookies you might be sending as a gift in a Holiday cookie box or to go any holiday party. This icing starts out wet and is very easy to decorate with. It dries hard within 24 hours.
Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. of icing sugar
- 5 Tablespoons meringue powder
- ⅔ cup warm water. You may need more or less to reach the proper consistency
Instructions
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the sugar and the meringue powder.
- Mix to combine and break up any lumps.
- Add the water and mix on low until the icing starts to come together.
- Turn the mixer up to medium and beat for 4-5 mins, or until light and fluffy and holds a stiff peak. (You may need to add more water to reach the desired consistency for the piping.)
- Keep your icing covered, either with cling-film or a damp cloth, when not in use, or it will start to dry and set.
- The stiff consistency is perfect for making things like royal icing flowers or piping 3 dimensional designs.
- For the consistency for writing or piping borders, the consistency should be similar to mayonnaise. (You gradually add water to the icing until this is reached.)
- For flood consistency, (this is the main inside icing you will be filling the cookie with), add water gradually, until you have a runny honey consistency.
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