The best soft and chewy gingerbread cookies

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Gingerbread cookies are a staple around our house during the holiday season. I think these might be up there for all time favourite Christmas cookie for us. They are so soft and chewy, the spices are perfect and they have a super thin sugary crust on the outside. You have to try them!

Gingerbread is a traditional cookie at Christmas time in many countries around the world. Gingerbread is made like most cookies. Cream butter and sugar, add leavening, flour, and the flavouring. This is what makes most of the difference. Gingerbread is very flavourful and aromatic! This is because of the addition of classic gingerbread spices and the deep smoky flavour of the molasses! If you have not had gingerbread before it tastes very strong, but not overpowering. It consists of warm, citrus, spicy and sweet flavours and a pronounced, pleasant, spicy-sweet aroma.

What gives gingerbread its distinct flavour?

The spices and molasses! The spices in gingerbread are:

Ginger (obviously) – Ginger is 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.

Freezing gingerbread 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 cookie dough be frozen?

Yes! For these cookies, if you are freezing the dough for a long period of time, I would make them into balls then freeze them, separated on a baking sheet, for 2-3 hours. Then pop them into a freezer bag, or a sealed container. Keep them in the freezer for a few months. When you want to bake them, roll the dough balls in sugar and continue on with the rest of the recipe.

Can gingerbread cookies be frozen?

Yes! This is what I typically do to get a head start on my holiday baking. After the cookies are baked, cool them to room temperature. Freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 2-3 hours. Then pop them into a freezer bag, or a sealed container. Keep them in the freezer for a few months. The reason to freeze them separately first is so they do not stick together and freeze into a big clump.

Types of gingerbread

Gingerbread comes in many different forms, ginger snaps, gingerbread men, gingerbread houses, ginger bread cake, and the list goes on. This gingerbread cookie recipe is a soft, tender, chewy version with a sweet delicate crunch from the added sugar crust around the cookie. This type of cookie is not meant to be rolled out and used for gingerbread people or gingerbread houses. You will need a more dry sturdy cookie for that. This is a quick and easy gingerbread recipe perfect as a sweet holiday snack!

Ingredients for Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies

1½ cups butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

½ cup fancy molasses

4 ½ cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup white sugar (to roll the dough balls in)

Method

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter, 1 cup of white sugar, and 1 cups of brown sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat after each addition.
3. Beat in the molasses until you have a smooth uniform mixture. You will have to scrape down the bowl a few times.
4. Sprinkle in the spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to incorporate.
5. Add in the flour and mix until it just comes together. (Don’t overmix or the cookies will not be as tender.)
6. Place the final 1/3 cup of white sugar into a small bowl. (This will be for the outside of the cookies)
7. Roll about 2-3 Tablespoons of dough into a ball shape.
8. Place the dough ball in the sugar bowl and coat the outside. Place on a lined cookie sheet.
9. Continue this process until all the dough is used up.
10. Using the bottom of a cup (or something with a flat surface), press each sugared dough ball into a smooth round cookie shape, about 1 ½ cm thick.
11. Place the cookie sheets into the refrigerator to chill 2 hours, or a half hour in the freezer. (This step will help the cookies hold their shape and to stop all the butter from oozing out while in the oven.)
12. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
13. When the cookies have chilled bake them 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet 10 minutes. They will be quite soft at the beginning. You can then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Decoration

To make the cookies a little more festive. Melt white chocolate and add a few holiday sprinkles!

Let’s keep the holiday baking going! These are some of my favourite Christmas treats! Christmas Cranberry Cheesecake Squares Simple layered chocolate mint candy No-bake Rich Chocolate mint bars Homemade, Oreo Inspired, Sandwich Cookies