Perfect Cutout Gingerbread Cookies Recipe 

Gingerbread cut-out cookies aren't complicated or time-consuming. I like to roll them thick to get nice, soft, and chewy gingerbread cookies. Gingerbread men decorated with glossy vanilla stripes and cinnamon candy buttons are so festive.

Easy dough, holds shape, no chilling required, perfectly soft.

Ingredients

Do you see that first item in the ingredient list?  The butter can be cold.  You don't have to wait for the butter to be soft at room temperature.

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, cold
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup molasses
• 6 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions

This dough is special, just like my cut-out sugar cookies. There is no chilling the dough, and these hold their shape perfectly in the oven.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add your butter and brown sugar.  Mix on low speed just until it all crumbles together.  
3. Add in the cold eggs, vanilla extract, and molasses.  Mix on low speed just until the molasses and eggs are swirled in.  It will look gross but I promise it works.  Scrape your bowl well to make sure the butter doesn’t get stuck to the bottom or the sides.  The butter will not be mixed in very well and that is ok.
4. With your mixer on the lowest speed, add in your dry ingredients slowly.  Adding in the smaller measurements of spices, salt, and baking soda first then add in the flour little by little.  The dough will start to come together and clean off the sides of the bowl.  It should feel like play-doh and form in a ball on the mixer paddle.
5. Sprinkle flour lightly on a flat surface and smudge flour on your rolling pin.  Divide the dough in half and roll out one section at a time adding flour to the top of the dough as needed to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin.  Roll to about ½ inch thickness.  Cut with desired cookie cutters and place 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes.  They will puff up a bit and be evenly cooked.  Be careful to not let the edges darken.
7. Remove cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting and decorating.

I am not a cookie artist, but I love how beautiful gingerbread cookies look with simple lines and glossy icing. Make the traditional gingerbread men shapes and whimsical snowflakes.

Piping glossy icing on cookies is so easy with these inexpensive squeeze bottles(link).  I've had mine for years, and they clean nicely in the dishwasher.

Storage

Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. They will stay soft and flavorful.

Soft Cutout Gingerbread Cookies freeze well for up to 2 months. Let them come to room temperature before decorating.

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Soft Cut-Out Gingerbread Cookies

By

Easy dough, holds shape, no chilling required, perfectly soft.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter cold
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs cold
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup molasses
• 6 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

Get ingredients with

Instructions

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add your butter and brown sugar. Mix on low speed just until it all crumbles together.
3. Add in the cold eggs, vanilla extract, and molasses. Mix on low speed just until the molasses and eggs are swirled in. It will look gross but I promise it works. Scrape your bowl well to make sure the butter doesn’t get stuck to the bottom or the sides. The butter will not be mixed in very well and that is ok.
4. With your mixer on the lowest speed, add in your dry ingredients slowly. Adding in the smaller measurements of spices, salt, and baking soda first then add in the flour little by little. The dough will start to come together and clean off the sides of the bowl. It should feel like play-doh and form in a ball on the mixer paddle.
5. Sprinkle flour lightly on a flat surface and smudge flour on your rolling pin. Divide the dough in half and roll out one section at a time adding flour to the top of the dough as needed to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll to about ½ inch thickness. Cut with desired cookie cutters and place 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. They will puff up a bit and be evenly cooked. Be careful to not let the edges darken.
7. Remove cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting and decorating.

Notes

Use my recipe for Glossy Cookie Icing to decorate

 

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