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Christmas Cut-Out Cookies · Gingerbread

Spiced Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies

Warmly spiced with ginger, cinnamon and molasses, these gingerbread cookies are tender in the middle with crisp edges. Cut them into people, stars or houses and decorate away.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Total
3 hr 30 min
Serves
30 · about 30 cookies (4-inch)
Level
Medium

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • ½ cup unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Simple icing

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2–3 tbsp milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Steps

  1. Whisk the flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
  2. Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg, molasses and vanilla until smooth. It may look a little separated, which is fine.
  3. Mix in the flour mixture on low until a soft, sticky dough forms. Divide in half, flatten into disks, wrap and refrigerate until firm.
  4. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line sheet pans with parchment.
  5. Roll one disk at a time on a well-floured counter (or between parchment) to 1/4 inch thick. Cut shapes, dipping the cutters in flour, and place them 1 inch apart on the pans. Re-roll scraps once.
  6. Bake until the edges are firm and the centers look just set. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer for crisper cookies.
  7. Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then move to a rack and cool completely.
  8. Stir the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a thick, pipeable icing. Spoon into a piping bag and decorate with buttons, smiles and swirls. Let set about 1 hour.

Tip: Spray the measuring cup with a little oil before measuring molasses and it will slide right out.

Tip: The royal icing from our cut-out sugar cookies works on these too, for decorations that dry hard.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature up to 1 week. They soften slightly over time.

Make ahead: Dough keeps 3 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen; thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 160 calories · protein 2 g · carbohydrates 28 g · fiber 0 g · sugars 17 g · fat 5 g (saturated 3 g) · sodium 70 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 15 of 15 ingredients.