Gingerbread cookie recipe (Gingerbread house)

Updated: 10/16/2022

Here is a recipe that is so wonderful! Bake these treats for less time and get cookies that have a slight crisp on the outside and are soft on the inside cookies. Bake these on the higher end of what I've prescribed and they're soft but sturdy enough to make a festive, holiday gingerbread house.

How was this recipe born? Every year we love to have a healthy gingerbread house competition every year. I love a gingerbread house kit but we always ran out of frosting and sometimes found pieces that were broken. It made me wonder if it's too much of a hassle to turn a recipe my husband loves as cookies into a gingerbread house. Turns out.. it's actually easier to make a house than cookies. The texture is perfect and the flavor is cozy - slightly spicy, nutty from the molasses and brown sugar, and warm from the vanilla.

Click here for the full video step by step: coming soon!

Prep time: 10 minutes + 8 hours to cure

Cook time: 8-12 minutes

Servings: 1 house or 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

COOKIE

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (384 grams)

• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon ground ginger

• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)

• ½ cup dark brown sugar

• ¼ cup granulated sugar (if you don’t have granulated sugar you can use ¾ cup dark brown sugar)

• 1 large egg (room temperature)

• 1⁄2 cup molasses

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

ROYAL ICING

• Clicking this link takes you to my royal icing recipe

Tools:

• Mixer

• Rolling pin

• Extra flour for rolling

• Cutters of your choice

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended. Set aside.

• In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until well blended.

• Add one egg on medium speed for about 20 seconds.

• Mix molasses and vanilla until well blended.

• Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.

• Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.

• Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.

• Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.

• Roll dough to just under a 1/4-inch thick.

• Use additional flour to avoid sticking.

• Cut out cookies with desired cutter. [see tip below]

• Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.

• Bake one sheet at a time for 8-12 minutes (a lower time will give you softer cookies). [see tip below]

• Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack. After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.

Tips:

• Instead of cutting the dough on a surface and transferring to a baking sheet, I like to place the entire piece of rolled out dough on a baking sheet, cut out shapes, and then remove excess so edges can stay intact. See video for clarity on this tip [coming soon]!

• Before baking, I find it helps to freeze the cookies for an hour to keep from spreading.

• Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. Return to room temp before using.

• Every oven varies. Once your cookie is cool, check the bottom to see if it's dry. If it's not, pop it back into the oven for a couple more minutes.

• Check your molasses expiration date - I've found freshness makes a difference with this recipe.

• Cookies look great decorated with royal icing. Decorate when the cookie is cool.

Frequently asked question:

• Do I have to refrigerate the dough for 8 hours? This helps make the cookie taste much better and reduces spreading.

Gingerbread cookie success!!

Roxie

Keywords: #gingerbread #gingerbreadcookie #gingerbreadhouse #roxstarbakes #cookie #cookies #holidaybaking #holidays #spicedcookie #homemade #madefromscratch