This delicious Gingerbread Recipe is loaded with spicy gingerbread flavor. It’s easy to make, fun to decorate, and delicious. Yum!
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Gingerbread cookies are a holiday classic. They have a strong flavor that can’t be masked (and shouldn’t be tamed). They can be cut into shapes, turned into houses, and decorated in a million ways.
Ingredients, Substitutions, & Budget
This total recipe costs $5.28 to make. It makes about 48 small cookies (depending on cookie cutter size) which works out to $0.11 per cookie.
Your grocery costs are probably different than mine. Location, shopping habits, seasonal availability, and other things can all have a major impact on the cost of food. Find out how I calculate what a recipe costs.
Gingerbread Ingredients
There are 13 ingredients in this dish.
Molasses ($0.83)
Molasses helps give gingerbread it’s dark color. It also affects the flavor giving it that depth that is so essential to a good gingerbread.
Molasses is a liquid sweetener, so if you need to substitute it keep that in mind. The best substitute is maple syrup (same amount). The second best is corn syrup (same amount).
Brown sugar ($0.21)
Brown sugar is sugar with molasses. That’s right, there’s more molasses in your gingerbread! The molasses does more than add color to the sugar, it all adds moisture.
I always use the darkest brown sugar I have but you can use any brown sugar.
The two best substitute options are:
- 100g White Sugar + 7 mL Molasses (or maple syrup)
- Coconut Sugar (same amount)
Cocoa Powder ($0.71)
I don’t know why gingerbread is better with cocoa but it is. It adds a richness? A depth? A something!
There’s not enough cocoa powder in this recipe to give the gingerbread a chocolate taste but there’s enough to add something.
Substitute by increasing the flour by about 20g (to 470g).
10 More Ingredients
- Flour ($1.14): I use unbleached all-purpose flour
- Cinnamon ($0.08)
- Ginger ($0.17)
- Baking Soda ($0.02)
- Cloves ($0.02)
- Nutmeg ($0.02)
- Salt ($0.02)
- Butter ($1.56)
- Egg ($0.31)
- Vanilla ($0.19)
Vegan Gingerbread Substitutes
I have made these cookies vegan and they turned out great. The dough was slightly more prone to cracking, especially as you rolled it more and more.
Substitute the Butter: I used a vegan butter to substitute for regular butter (but I think margarine or shortening would work) and used the same amount.
Substitute the Egg: I used 2.5 Tbsp coconut milk (from a can) plus 1 tsp of Baking Soda to substitute for the egg. Make sure you add the baking soda with the coconut milk and not as extra in the dry ingredients.
Equipment & Plating
These cookies use basic cookie making equipment.
Stand Mixer
The paddle attachment is used for this recipe.
You’ll cream together butter and sugar for gingerbread cookies. A stand mixer makes this easy because you can set it up and then do something else for the few minutes.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a handheld electric mixer. You can try to cream butter & sugar by hand but it’s going to take a long time and a lot of vigorous beating.
Small Tools
To make this recipe, you’re going to want the following small tools:
- Sheet Pans: needed to bake your cookies in the oven.
- Food Scale (or Measuring Cups & Spoons): useful for measuring your ingredients.
- Cookie Cutters: choose your favorite shapes or ones to match the occasion.
Looking to stock your kitchen with the best equipment? Learn about the best kitchen tools you should own!
What Goes With Gingerbread Cookies?
ICING! If you want to decorate your cookies, you’ll need some icing. Try one of these popular icing types:
- Royal Icing: the most popular choice. An edible icing made from egg whites or meringue powder. It dries hard (although takes several hours to do so) and is very versatile.
- Buttercream Frosting: is made of butter and powdered sugar. It’s delicious and versatile but it doesn’t dry hard so it needs to be handled carefully.
- Fondant: an edible sugar dough (although a lot of people dislike the taste. It’s easy to use, versatile, and lasts.
Gingerbread cookies are a pretty standard holiday cookie and I often make them with Sugar Cookies and Butter Cookies.
Got Leftovers?
I don’t usually have leftover gingerbread cookies. I only make them for a reason and give them out (usually as Christmas Cookie Boxes).
- Freeze then Bake: gingerbread cookie dough can be frozen (either in a blob or as cookies) and then baked. They’re best refrigerated overnight before shaping/baking.
- Freeze after Baking: you can freeze baked cookies. Allow them to come to room temperature naturally before eating. They’re best if eaten within a month.
- Repurpose: Use your leftover gingerbread cookies in a different recipe. Add them to a trifle, use them as a pie crust, experiment and enjoy!
Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 170 g Butter ($1.56)
- 100 g Brown Sugar (0.21)
- 450 g Flour ($1.14)
- 60 g Cocoa ($0.71)
- 4 g Cinnamon ($0.08)
- 8.5 g Ginger ($0.17)
- 3.5 g Baking Soda ($0.02)
- 0.8 g Cloves ($0.02)
- 1.1 g Nutmeg ($0.02)
- 3 g Salt ($0.02)
- 1 Egg ($0.31)
- 140 mL Molasses ($0.83)
- 6.3 g Vanilla ($0.19)
Instructions
- In a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment), cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.170 g Butter, 100 g Brown Sugar
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.450 g Flour, 60 g Cocoa, 4 g Cinnamon, 8.5 g Ginger, 3.5 g Baking Soda, 0.8 g Cloves, 1.1 g Nutmeg, 3 g Salt
- Add in egg, molasses, and vanilla. Beat on medium until well mixed.1 Egg, 140 mL Molasses, 6.3 g Vanilla
- Reduce mixer to low and gradually add dry mixture until combined.
- Flatten into a 1-2” disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (up to 2 days). Feel free to split it into 2 disks so it takes up less space.
Once Chilled
- Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Unwrap the dough and place it on a large, slightly floured surface (or on a large piece of parchment).
- Roll the dough, using a rolling pin, until it’s 1/8 to ¼ inch thick. Note: thinner cookies will be crisper and cook faster. Thicker cookies will be softer and take longer to bake.
- Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place shapes on baking sheets. Continue rolling and rerolling dough until it’s all used.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until cookies are crisp around the edges.
- Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes on pan. Then, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Once cooled completely, decorate, serve, & enjoy!
Notes
- Royal Icing: the most popular choice. An edible icing made from egg whites or meringue powder. It dries hard (although takes several hours to do so) and is very versatile.
- Buttercream Frosting: is made of butter and powdered sugar. It’s delicious and versatile but it doesn’t dry hard so it needs to be handled carefully.
- Fondant: an edible sugar dough (although a lot of people dislike the taste. It’s easy to use, versatile, and lasts.
Enjoy Your Gingerbread Cookies!
Did you make this gingerbread cookie recipe? How did it turn out? What changes did you make? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Until next time. Xoxo