Description
These soft and flavorful Gingerbread Cookies are a perfect holiday treat. Made with warm spices like cinnamon and ginger, combined with molasses for a rich depth of flavor, these cookies are simple to prepare and loved by all. They offer a soft texture that even those who don’t usually enjoy molasses or gingersnaps will crave.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon (increase up to 2 tsp for stronger cinnamon flavor)
- ½ tsp dried ground ginger (increase up to 1-2 tsp for stronger ginger flavor)
Optional
- Granulated sugar to roll cookie dough balls in
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. This step ensures a tender cookie.
- Add Egg and Molasses: Mix in the large egg and molasses thoroughly until fully incorporated, giving the dough moisture and flavor.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger to evenly distribute the spices and leavening.
- Mix Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until a uniform dough forms, making sure there are no streaks of flour.
- Form Dough Balls: Scoop or shape dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball. Optionally, roll these dough balls in granulated sugar for a sweet, sparkly crust.
- Arrange on Baking Sheet: Place the dough balls on a baking sheet spaced 2-3 inches apart to allow room for spreading during baking.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are set but still soft in the center.
- Cool: Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes to firm up. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- These cookies are renowned for their soft texture and wonderful flavor, making them a crowd-pleaser even among those who aren’t typically fans of molasses or ginger-flavored treats.
- Adjust the cinnamon and ginger amounts according to your preference for spiciness.
- Rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking adds a delightful crunch and sparkle to the finished cookies.
- Ensure the butter is softened to room temperature for easier creaming with sugar.
- Do not overbake; the cookies continue to firm up as they cool, preserving their soft texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 143 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 158 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
