Spiced Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies

• Cookies
• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling ≈ 406 g
  Swaps for all-purpose flour

  Instead of all-purpose flour

  • Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
  • Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
  • Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.

  All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• 1 tbsp ground ginger
  Swaps for ground ginger

  Instead of ginger

  • Fresh ginger: 1 tbsp grated fresh for each ¼ tsp ground. Brighter and spicier.

  More for ginger

• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  Swaps for ground cinnamon

  Instead of cinnamon

  • Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice: The same amount. Mostly cinnamon, with ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves: a little spicier.
  • Ground allspice or nutmeg: About ¼ the amount. Much stronger and different, but warm in the same way.

  More for cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  Swaps for ground nutmeg

  Instead of nutmeg

  • Ground mace: A little less. Made from the same fruit; slightly sharper.
  • Pumpkin pie spice or allspice: The same amount. Warmer and more cinnamon-forward.

  More for nutmeg

• ¾ tsp baking soda
  Swaps for baking soda

  Instead of baking soda

  • Baking powder: 3 tsp baking powder for each 1 tsp baking soda. It rises, but bakes come out paler and puffier, cookies spread less, and the extra powder can taste a little bitter.

  More for baking soda

• ½ tsp kosher salt
  Swaps for kosher salt

  Instead of salt

  • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
  • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

  More for salt

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened ≈ 170 g
  Swaps for unsalted butter

  Instead of butter

  • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
  • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
  • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

  All 4 swaps for butter

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed ≈ 165 g
  Swaps for dark brown sugar

  Instead of brown sugar

  • White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
  • White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
  • Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.

  All 4 swaps for brown sugar

• 1 large egg, room temperature
  Swaps for egg

  Instead of eggs

  • Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
  • Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
  • Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.

  All 5 swaps for eggs

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• ½ cup unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  Swaps for vanilla extract

  Instead of vanilla extract

  • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
  • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
  • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

  All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

• Simple icing
• 2 cups powdered sugar ≈ 240 g
  Swaps for powdered sugar

  Instead of powdered sugar

  • Homemade powdered sugar: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp cornstarch, blended. Slightly grainier in uncooked frosting; fine in glazes and for dusting.

  More for powdered sugar

• 2–3 tbsp milk
  Swaps for milk

  Instead of milk

  • Unsweetened soy milk: The same amount. The closest plant milk for baking: its protein helps things brown and set.
  • Unsweetened oat milk: The same amount. Creamy and mild with a hint of sweetness.
  • Unsweetened almond milk: The same amount. Thinner and less rich, so cakes are a little paler and drier.

  All 5 swaps for milk

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• ½ tsp vanilla extract
  Swaps for vanilla extract

  Instead of vanilla extract

  • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
  • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
  • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

  All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.