The Best Soft Gingerbread Cookies for the Holidays

Here is our favorite gingerbread cookie recipe, a festive way to spread holiday cheer! These soft, warmly spiced Gingerbread Cookies are a delicious classic made with rich molasses, brown sugar, and cozy spices. Perfect for decorating, gifting, or enjoying with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate on a cold winter day!

For us, nothing is more synonymous with Christmas cheer than homemade gingerbread cookies. The holidays just wouldn’t feel complete without the comforting aroma of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves filling up the whole house. It instantly transforms the kitchen into a cozy, festive space and for me, it’s one of the most nostalgic scents of the season, conjuring up memories of growing up helping my mom bake racks of cookies with Christmas music playing in the background.

These gingerbread cookies are soft and perfectly spiced, plus they’re super fun to make rolling out the dough, cutting out gingerbread people and candy canes and snowmen, and decorating them. And above all, they are simply delicious and the perfect accompaniment to a warm mug of hot chocolate. Whether you’re baking with family, prepping cookie boxes for friends, or simply craving something festive and homemade, this recipe is one you’ll come back to every single winter!

Why you’ll love these gingerbread cookies

• Soft and sturdy texture – These cookies stay soft in the center while holding their shape beautifully for cutting and decorating.
• Perfectly balanced spice – A cozy blend of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg delivers classic gingerbread flavor without being overpowering.
• Make-ahead friendly – The dough can be prepared in advance, making holiday baking less stressful.
• Great for decorating or gifting – These cookies are sturdy enough to hold their shape for icing, sprinkles, or simple powdered sugar dusting. They are also just as delicious by themselves!

Ingredients needed

• Unsalted butter: Allow it to come to room temperature before baking.
• Brown sugar: Adds moisture and deep, caramel-like sweetness that pairs perfectly with molasses.
• Molasses: The heart of gingerbread flavor, giving these cookies their signature color and warmth.
• 1 large egg: Binds the dough and adds structure, also making the cookies soft and chewy.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the warm spices and rounds out the sweetness.
• All-purpose flour: The base that gives the cookies structure while keeping them tender. Make sure to spoon and level it in your measuring cup so that you aren’t packing too much.
• Ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg: Add warmth, sweetness, and the signature spice of these gingerbread cookies.
• Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise slightly while staying soft.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.

How to make gingerbread cookies

Cream the butter and sugar

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, or with an electric mixer, beat the unsalted butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined.

Add dry ingredients and make the dough

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms.

Chill the dough

Divide the dough into two equal disks, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours to firm it up so that it’s easier to roll out.

Roll out the dough and cut

Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4-inch-thick and cut into desired shapes, using 3″-wide cookie cutters. Place onto prepared baking sheets. Re-roll the dough scraps and cut out more shapes as needed. Repeat with the remaining disc of dough.

Bake the cookies

Bake at 350°F for 9-10 minutes, or until the edges are just set but the centers still remain soft. Ideally, bake one sheet at a time on the center oven rack to ensure even baking. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe tips for the best gingerbread cookies

• Don’t skip chilling the dough: Chilling the dough allows the butter to firm up and the flavors to meld, which helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. It also makes the dough much easier to roll out and cut, especially if you’re using cookie cutters.
  
• Measure flour carefully: Too much flour can lead to dense or dry cookies. For best results, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife instead of scooping directly from the bag, which can pack in extra flour.
  
• Slightly underbake for softness: For soft gingerbread cookies, remove them from the oven when the edges look set but the centers still appear slightly soft. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool, giving you that tender, chewy texture.
  
• Have fun decorating!: Although these cookies are just as delicious plain, they’re also even tastier with some icing on top! To save time, you can use store-bought or for a simpler glaze, stir 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk, adding more milk as needed to reach your desired consistency. After icing the cookies, leave them on a rack to dry at room temperature so that the icing sets.

Make-ahead & freezing instructions

Make ahead: The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

Freeze the dough: Wrap dough well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.

Freeze baked cookies: Fully cooled cookies freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before decorating or serving.

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